Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was another bright, sunny afternoon in Honolulu. A rainstorm had passed through earlier in the day, but now the clouds had cleared. The only evidence of the bad weather was the rainbow painted across the blue sky.

Anyone driving on one particular residential street that afternoon with their windows down would have been treated to good-natured, arguing voices coming from the Ferrari cruising down the road with its top down. The man behind the wheel was engaged in a spirited conversation with the woman in the passenger seat.

"I'm telling you," the dark-haired driver was saying as he braked for a stop sign, "it's just simple math."

"Oh right. Simple." The woman laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Sure. Rick and T.C. do all the books for their businesses, and I did mine for the whole P.I. business for years! You don't need to hire some guy to do your taxes. You'll save money and time if you do them yourself." Magnum glanced over at Higgins from behind his aviator shades before slowly accelerating across the intersection.

They swung out into traffic on the busy street as Higgins sighed.

"That may be true, Magnum," she began, "but the books for Robin's Nest are a bit more complex than La Mariana's. And they're nowhere close to the paltry amount of income you brought in for your cases — even when you weren't accepting barbecue grills and livestock as payment. Honestly, did you even claim those on your taxes?" Higgins shook her head and chuckled at the look on her partner's face. "And this is why I'm taking care of our tax returns this year now that I'm part of this little venture."

"Oh, come on," Magnum protested. "It's not like I ever got audited by the IRS or anything." He shot Higgins a look at the mumbled "yet" from her side of the car as he continued. "I did perfectly fine on my own."

She was about to retort when she happened to glance in the side mirror. Something caught her eye, and she broke off her first word.

"Aha. So you do think I know what I'm doing," Magnum said with a triumphant grin.

"What? No," Higgins objected. "That's not it. Look." She gestured toward the rearview mirror. "Do you see it?"

He glanced up to look in the mirror, then darted his eyes back to the traffic around him. A moment later, he checked behind them again. And, this time, his eyes narrowed as he spotted what he knew right away was what his friend had indicated. "The white SUV."

"They've been tailing us for the last three blocks," Higgins informed him. "At least."

Increasing his speed, Magnum quickly switched lanes without signaling. Someone nearby laid on their horn, but he didn't pay them any mind. Glancing back again to keep tabs on the SUV, he swerved into the far lane and then switched back after passing two cars and a truck.

The white Tahoe had increased its speed and swerved through traffic to close on the Ferrari. It was still behind them, the driver maintaining his distance well. Regardless of the amount of traffic, the other driver consistently stayed at least three cars behind Magnum and Higgins.

"Who are these guys anyway?" Magnum muttered. He was asking the question out loud but didn't expect Higgins to have an answer. Neither of them knew much; what little information they had was hardly anything to go on. An unknown driver had rented the Tahoe, and the local contact the rental place had was Thomas Magnum. Although, since Magnum was the one being actively tailed by the rented vehicle, he hardly thought that was very fair.

He clenched his jaw and tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He'd had too many nightmares about whoever was in that vehicle to feel safe when it was around. Even though he knew they had just been dreams, he could still vividly see the images his mind had conjured up of men with guns leaping from the SUV to riddle the Ferrari with bullets.

Higgins shook her head. "Should we call Detective Katsumoto?" she asked, her voice drawing Magnum from his thoughts. "Maybe he can have someone pull this guy over."

As if the other driver had heard her question, the Tahoe suddenly turned onto a side road and disappeared. Magnum and Higgins glanced at each other, knowing there was no hope HPD would be able to find it now, even if Katsumoto could send a patrol car right away.

"You know, this guy's really starting to get on my nerves," Magnum said, his eyes flicking back to the rearview mirror as if he expected the vehicle in question to suddenly reappear. "Why all the subterfuge? He clearly knows where to find me."

"Yes, well…" Higgins made a face. "Be careful what you wish for, hm, Magnum? Whoever this is clearly is up to no good."

The rest of the drive back to the estate was uneventful, but both investigators' thoughts were still on the SUV and its driver. Although they didn't see the vehicle again that afternoon, neither Magnum nor Higgins could shake the feeling they were still being watched.

"Hey, Higgy," Magnum greeted as he stepped into the office in the main house later that night.

Higgins was sitting at her desk, focused on the laptop open in front of her. She glanced up and took a sip from the mug in her hand as Magnum walked into the room. "Yes?"

"Did you see the email from that prospective client that just came in?" he asked, waving his phone in her direction. "Sounds pretty urgent. Wanna meet with them tomorrow?"

"Ah," Higgins said slowly, sucking in air between her teeth. "I… have an appointment with the accountant for the estate tomorrow morning, and I don't know how long it will take."

Magnum nodded slowly as he walked over to take a seat in one of the chairs across from the desk. "Well, I could always meet with them myself. If you don't mind not being there for the initial meeting, that is; you can always run a background check on them afterward," he added. "But this could be a pretty big payday; it sounds urgent, and the guy even said that money is no object." He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow.

"Sure," she said quickly with a shrug of her shoulders. "I don't see why not. Just don't agree to anything I wouldn't, hm?"

That comment prompted a laugh from her partner. "Come on, Higgy. It's me."

"Precisely."

Magnum rolled his eyes, but he couldn't hide his grin. "Okay, fine. I'll set up a time to meet this guy at La Mariana, and then I'll catch you up on things after the meeting." He stood from the chair and glanced at his watch. It was his dad's old watch, the one Higgins had repurchased for him a few weeks before after he'd had to pawn it to cover the cost of new tires for the Ferrari. He still didn't regret having sold it, only the risk he'd had to take in doing so — which had nearly cost him the only thing he had left of his father's. Thankfully, it had turned out to be Higgins who had purchased it from the dealer, but Magnum was well aware how differently things could have turned out. "Well, it's getting late. I'll let you get back to preparing for your meeting tomorrow."

"And you have a meeting of your own you'd better prepare for," Higgins replied with a small shake of her head. "Good night, Magnum."

He gave her a wave as he headed out of the door. "Night."

"And here you are, brother," Rick said cheerfully as he handed a cold bottle to T.C., who had made himself comfortable on one of the barstools at La Mariana. "Here's to a very successful budget meeting between partners."

"Hmm," T.C. muttered, although there was a twinkle in his eye behind the sideways look he gave Rick. "One that would've been unnecessary had someone not let our insurance lapse so we wouldn't have had to pay for repairs from a hurricane ourselves."

Rick lifted his hands and put on the most innocent look he could muster. "Ah, come on. What's a little storm between friends?"

"You really gonna ask me that after we just went over those numbers?"

Before Rick could come up with a satisfactory retort, his phone buzzed in his pocket. "Saved by the bell!" he exclaimed as he pulled out the device. "It's Jules," he informed T.C., then swiped the screen to answer before the other man could say anything. "Hey, Jules!" he greeted as he put the call on speaker. "What's up?"

"Rick, " she replied, and he immediately picked up on the hint of worry in her voice. "Is Magnum still there?"

"Thomas?" Rick shot a questioning look at T.C., who returned it with a curious tilt of his head. "No," he replied, "we haven't seen him at all today. The bar's been pretty quiet."

"Why? What's up, Higgy?" T.C. asked, leaning toward the phone, his beer forgotten.

Higgins paused. "It might be nothing," she said. "Perhaps he ran out of petrol on the way and doesn't want to call one of us for help. But he was handling a client meeting on his own as I was tied up with something else. Trouble is, his meeting was over an hour ago, and I haven't heard from him since he left the estate."

The two men exchanged glances.

"He, uh, hasn't been here at all today," Rick informed Higgins. "And we haven't had anyone here looking for him either."

They could hear her sigh over the speaker. "Well, this can't be good."

"You think he's in trouble?" T.C. asked in concern. His expression told Rick he already knew the answer to the question.

"I hope not. It may be nothing," Higgins said quickly.

"Or maybe it's something," Rick added. "It's too much of a coincidence that both Thomas and this client didn't show up here if they were meeting."

T.C. nodded and pushed his stool away from the bar. "We'll drive to the estate and see if we can spot him along the way," he announced. "With any luck, we'll find him trying to hike to the nearest gas station."

"You don't have to do that," Higgins protested. "I can look into it; I'm sure he's just not answering my calls so that he doesn't have to admit whatever happened quite yet."

"We're already on it, Jules," Rick assured her. "You can look into these clients of yours while we do that, just in case." Turning, he gestured to his employee, who was entering an order into the till. "Hey, can you watch the bar for me?" he asked her. "I have to go take care of something."

When she nodded, Rick turned back to the phone, which he was holding up as he quickly followed T.C. toward the door. "Don't worry; we'll find him. I'm sure it'll turn out to be nothing."

But even as he said the words, Rick was intensely aware of the sinking feeling developing in his stomach. He just hoped he was wrong.

By the time Rick and T.C. made it to Robin's Nest, both were more worried than they wanted to admit to the other. They knew Magnum often got himself into jams while investigating cases — and sometimes while just minding his own business. And although their friend also had more luck than most people, they had both known Thomas Magnum long enough to have more than enough experience being proven right for worrying about the man. Even since they'd all moved to Oahu, Magnum had been beaten up, shot, kidnapped… even yacht-jacked of all things. Under the current circumstances, his disappearance was more than enough reason for both T.C. and Rick to be concerned.

Higgins met them outside as they parked Rick's Porsche at the end of the driveway. The Brit was clearly as worried as the two men were, her voice all business but tinged with uncertainty as she saw they were alone. "I take it he wasn't just broken down on the side of the road."

Rick shook his head. "No sign of him or the car. Unless he took a back way, it doesn't look like he just ran out of gas."

"And every time I tried to call him, it just went straight to voicemail," T.C. added.

That prompted a nod from Higgins. "Yeah, I tried, too. No luck. And then I tried to ping his phone, but it seems to have been turned off."

"That's not great." Rick frowned. The looks his friends gave him said just how much of an understatement his comment was.

Higgins glanced absently toward the guest house and then back to the two men. "I started looking into the client who reached out to us last night, the one Magnum was going to meet at the bar this morning." Both T.C. and Rick noticed when her shoulders slumped ever so slightly. "The name was fake, and the email address was just created in the past two days." She rubbed the back of her neck. "If only I'd looked into them last night, this might—"

"Hey," T.C. interrupted her. "You couldn't have known."

Nodding in agreement, Rick reached over to pat Higgins' arm. "Besides, Tommy's been doing this P.I. thing for a while. This isn't all on you." He gave her a reassuring grin. "Come on. Let's just focus on getting our boy back."

Higgins gave a small chuckle. "Okay," she said, squaring her shoulders.

"I'll make some calls," Rick offered, pulling out his phone. "Put some feelers out. I'm sure someone will have seen something. Thomas couldn't just have disappeared without a trace."

"Well, why don't you two come inside?" Higgins offered, turning back toward the door into the main house. "I've started running a recognition program on traffic camera footage in the area. Hopefully that will turn something up."

"Should we call Gordon?" T.C. asked. "I know it's barely been a couple of hours, but…"

Higgins paused where she was stepping through the door and nodded. "You're right. We should loop him in — although there's every chance this will turn out to be nothing and Magnum just forgot to charge his phone." Her tone of voice said she didn't quite believe her own words.

The next few hours passed by in a blur, with all three working hard to exhaust every avenue they could think of for figuring out what had happened to their friend. They'd spoken with Katsumoto several times; the detective was tied up investigating a different he'd been assigned but willing to help however he could.

"Unfortunately, this isn't an official missing persons case yet, but let me know the minute you find any sign that Magnum didn't just get distracted chasing a lead on his own," Katsumoto had told Higgins. In the meantime, the detective had put out an alert for officers to keep an eye out for Magnum's car and had promised to call if anyone spotted it.

The three friends at the estate were on their second pot of coffee when Higgins sat back from her laptop with a strange look on her face.

"Guys, come look at this!"

Rick lowered his phone, where he had been busily texting, and tilted his head as he tried to evaluate the look on his friend's face. "Did you find something?" he asked hopefully.

In response, Higgins nodded and gestured to the screen of her laptop. She was sitting at the counter in the guest house, where the three friends had decided to move to start working on finding their friend. There was more space there, where they could all spread out and work on different leads while still being near each other in case there was news to be shared quickly.

T.C. moved from where he had been pouring himself a mug of fresh coffee in the small kitchen to join Rick behind Higgins. The footage from a traffic camera was up on her screen, paused on the still image of an intersection. Rick immediately recognized it as part of the route between the estate and La Mariana.

Pressing the play button to start the video, Higgins sat back so the two men could watch the scene unfold. They could see two men in high-vis vests standing near the road, one holding a "DETOUR, ROAD WORK AHEAD" sign, as they watched for oncoming traffic. Those watching could see a red Ferrari pull up to the intersection and idle as one of the workmen stepped up to say something to Magnum. A moment later, the P.I. slowly proceeded to turn down the side road where the workers had pointed him.

Rick and T.C. exchanged glances and then looked back to Higgins.

"Well, that might explain why we didn't find him on the way here," T.C. remarked quietly. It was clear his mind was working on the possibilities of what might have happened to their friend.

"Is there any footage from that road?" Rick asked Higgins, then let out a breath as she shook her head.

"No," she replied. "I checked, but it doesn't look like there are any cameras besides the one at the intersection. If something happened to Magnum there, we don't have any evidence of it here."

T.C. didn't waste another minute. "Let's go, Rick."

Even before Higgins had finished speaking, Rick had reached into his pocket to pull out his keys, and he waved them at T.C. in response as soon as his buddy had looked his way. "Way ahead of you."

"I'll wait here," Higgins said quickly. "Just in case he comes back." She didn't have to say anything more. They all knew it was important for someone to stay behind. They would never forgive themselves if Magnum managed to drag himself back to the estate, in need of help, and none of them were there for him.

The large room was dim and musty, lit by flickering light fixtures hanging from the ceiling by rusty chains. They creaked in the draft created by the ancient fan mounted into the wall. A meager amount of daylight filtered in through the grimy windows, dust dancing in the rays that managed to break through the dirty panes of glass. Metal shelves stood along the walls, filled with a combination of crates, cardboard boxes, and rusty metal tools. In the spaces between the shelves, pallets of crumbling, rat-eaten boxes stood stacked together.

A set of rolling doors filled one of the shorter walls, rust and discoloration indicating years of disuse. Grime matching the windows covered the pane of glass in the center of the exit door to the left of the rolling ones. Whatever the place had once been, it was now only a shell of itself.

At the far end of the room, across from the doors, the shelves and pallets of boxes gave way to an open area, with workbenches and peg walls with a few remaining tools lining the space. Dust covered everything in a thick layer of grime.

The fan's rhythmic creaking was punctuated by the metallic sound of chains jingling against each other and the heavy, pained breathing of the man currently hanging from them.

Sweat mingled with the dirt and blood running down the sides of Thomas Magnum's face. His left eye was swollen, and blood dribbled from the cut splitting his bottom lip. Bruises littered the rest of his face, a particularly dark one shading the right side of his jaw.

His arms, held above his head by his bonds, were covered in more layers of dirt, sweat, and blood. The manacles fastened tightly around his wrists had made their mark; the unforgiving metal had cut deep, and the bruised and torn flesh was a testament to how much so. Blood streaked Magnum's forearms, the muscles taut as all of his weight hung from his arms.

His head sagged against his chest, beads of sweat dripping down from his chin to add to the stains on his once-pristine shirt. The white button-down was no longer patterned with just red flowers and green foliage; it was now soaked with sweat and spattered with the blood that also marred his face and arms. The two men guarding him could hear the ragged sound of his breath as he struggled to keep himself on the balls of his feet. It was a brutal balancing act; his leg muscles were screaming for relief, but, if he let himself sag, his shoulders burned like someone had injected them with fire. He was already exhausted and would have gladly given into the bone-deep fatigue if not for the searing pain in his upper back that immediately drove any thought of sleep from his mind.

He shifted his position slightly as he coughed, a low, rumbling sound that echoed in his chest and sent new waves of pain flashing through him.

The shorter of the two guards looked over at their prisoner, wrinkling his nose slightly as he took in the way Magnum was leaning to the right and trying to smother a coughing fit. "I dunno, man," he muttered, shooting his buddy a sideways look. "Maybe we should let him down, give him a break. He won't be any good to us like this."

"You heard the boss," the other responded, raising an eyebrow. "We ain't gonna find out what he knows by playing nice." He nodded in satisfaction as the first man sighed and nodded slowly. "Just hold your horses. The boss will be back any minute."

There was more coughing from the prisoner then, and the chains rattled as Magnum slipped off balance and then struggled to regain his footing.

The tall guard just chuckled. "Don't worry; he can't hold out forever. We'll find out everything we need to know soon enough."

Chapter Text

Rick pushed the car as fast as he dared, barely considering the speed limit, as he rushed to the location they had identified on the traffic video. It still seemed like it took forever to arrive at the intersection in question, but he was soon coming up to the road where their friend had turned off the usual route.

"Okay, Higgy," T.C. said, shifting in the passenger seat to hold out his phone where both he and Rick could hear it. "We're almost there." He watched through the windshield as the unassuming surroundings passed by.

It was a quiet stretch, punctuated every few minutes by a house set back from the road. Trees and other foliage hid much of the homes from view. And although the two men were keeping a watchful eye out, there was no sign of Magnum or the bright red sports car their friend had been driving when he left the estate that morning.

"Do you see anything?" Higgins' voice came over the phone.

T.C. started to shake his head, then frowned as Rick proceeded through an intersection. "Hold on. Rick, isn't this where he turned off?"

"What?" Higgins asked. "Guys, what's going on?"

"You're right!" Rick spun the wheel sharply to the left. Thankfully, no cars were coming from the other direction, and the Porsche successfully made the quick turn, tires squealing slightly on the pavement before it straightened out.

T.C. let out the breath he had sucked in when the car had suddenly changed direction. "Careful, man! Last thing we need is us crashing right now."

"Sorry," Rick apologized quickly, his attention on the road rather than the conversation. "I almost missed it."

"Guys!"

"Sorry, Higgy," T.C. spoke into the phone. "Rick's just driving like Thomas is all."

"Hey," Rick defended himself, "I wasn't expecting it to come up so fast. I was looking for the workmen; I was hoping we could ask them if they saw anything."

His comment had T.C. turning in his seat to look back at the intersection. "You're right." He blinked. "They're not there anymore."

"Well, it has been half a day already," Higgins said slowly. "They must have finished up and moved on to their next job."

"Yeah, but when was the last time you saw roadwork move at a quick pace?" Rick remarked with a small smirk tugging up the corner of his mouth.

T.C. just shook his head.

They drove in silence for a few more minutes, with Rick and T.C. both keeping a close watch around them. There was still no sign of Magnum or the Ferrari, however, and soon something else occurred to T.C.

"Rick… Does anything seem odd to you?"

"What?" Rick asked, taking his eyes off the road for a moment to glance over at the other man. "That it doesn't look like any work has been done out here in a while?"

T.C. nodded. "You'd think we'd see some sign of, well, something to explain why those guys were there this morning."

They could hear the sound of keys clicking over the phone speaker just before Higgins took a sharp breath.

"Guys," she said, and her voice was even more serious than it had been just moments before. "I don't think those were actually city workers."

Neither of the two men said anything, waiting for her to continue.

"I had a hunch when you said the men weren't there anymore and there not being any work done just confirmed it. I'd already started going through just the video from that intersection. I'd just had the computer looking for footage of the Ferrari, but then I just went back through more of the footage from just that intersection. It looks like the men arrived not long before the Ferrari did. And then," she added, "they got in a vehicle and followed him moments after he turned onto the road."

T.C. swallowed, the knot in the pit of his stomach growing tighter with the news from Higgins. There was only one explanation for what she was telling them, and it wasn't good.

"Someone was after Thomas," Rick said grimly, voicing the same thoughts T.C. was having. "They arranged a meeting and so knew where he would be and when, so they could intercept him on the way with a staged diversion."

"It would seem so." Higgins' voice was tight. "Keep a sharp lookout for anything out of the ordinary."

"Don't have to tell us twice," T.C. replied quickly.

Rick slowed to nearly a crawl so he and his passenger could carefully evaluate everything as they passed it. For a few minutes, nothing suspicious jumped out at either of them. The road was quiet, there were stretches of land with no buildings, and they didn't see another soul as they drove. Although they hated to admit it, both were thinking this was the perfect place for an ambush; there were few potential witnesses and ample cover for anyone waiting to pull out in front of a target.

And, sure enough, a quarter-mile farther on, they spotted flattened grass at the side of the road.

They'd barely passed the spot when T.C. shouted, "There!"

Rick threw the car into park as T.C. lifted the phone closer to him. "We found the Ferrari," he informed Higgins, keeping his eyes locked on the tail end of the red vehicle he could see peeking out from behind a large bush by the side of the road. "Call Gordon."

And then both men jumped out of the Porsche, guns drawn in anticipation of trouble.

It took them less than a minute to determine there was no one around. The Ferrari was abandoned, the keys nowhere to be seen and door ajar.

The scattered bullet casings, one on the floorboard of the driver's side of the car and several more in the trampled grass nearby, had both of them swallowing hard. They didn't even need to check if Magnum's pistol was underneath the seat where he kept it for emergencies; the casings looked like the same caliber as Magnum's weapon.

But what concerned them the most, what sent both of their hearts into their stomachs even while they hoped for any other explanation than that their friend was injured or worse, was the blood spattered on the side of the car and staining the ground just outside of it.

"Maybe he got off a lucky shot," Rick said, glancing over his shoulder at T.C. He lowered his weapon to his side and looked around the deserted area, as if a clue was just waiting to jump out at him, then sighed heavily.

"Hey," T.C. said, giving Rick a knowing look. "Our boy's a fighter. We're gonna find him."

Rick knew his friend too well not to notice the slight catch to his voice, but he didn't point it out. "Yeah…" he finally said with a slow nod. "We just need to do it fast."

Despite the pain that flared through his shoulders every time he let his weight drop, Magnum was nearly ready to give in to the blackness clouding the edges of his vision. He'd already attempted to find any slack in the cuffs or any weakness in the chains holding him up without success. From the moment his captors had roughly hoisted him up, he'd been trying to work at the bonds, but chains were much more difficult to break out of than ropes or zip ties.

He closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and tried to relax and push everything out of his mind. If escaping was out of the question at the moment, he needed to figure out what the guys who'd grabbed him were after. Whether he eventually escaped or his friends came to break him out, knowing who had captured him and why could help them take down the people responsible. He knew it wasn't just the men who were with him at the moment who were involved; someone in charge was giving the orders.

The guys who'd grabbed him, the ones who'd chained him up and already worked him over trying to get information on where his partner had hidden something — Magnum wasn't sure what they were after in particular, but it didn't matter because he wasn't going to tell them anyway — had said a few things regarding their boss. Even without that, though, he'd had a hunch they weren't the brains of the operation.

Now the question just remained who their boss was and what he wanted that Higgins had. Or she, Magnum supposed, although he just had a feeling about that one.

Taking another deep breath through his nose and not even trying to hide his grimace at the movement, he swallowed and refocused his attention. He tried to think back over the past day or so since he'd been grabbed. He hadn't been fully conscious when he'd been taken to wherever he was currently being held and the hood over his head hadn't helped matters, so he wasn't going to get any information from that direction. That meant any clues to where he was or who had taken him would have to come from other means.

He'd already tried to think over the details of his capture, but he didn't remember much. It was a pretty sure bet trauma-induced amnesia was to blame, but knowing what it was didn't make the fact any better. He just couldn't remember much more than it having happened while he was driving to a client meeting. Beyond that, it was just a blur of shadows and a weird, blank space in his memories. What he did know, though, was whoever was after him had either known about his meeting or been following him and waiting for the opportunity to take him.

With that thought, the mysterious white SUV came to mind, and Magnum found himself wondering if whoever had been stalking him around the island had taken advantage of a time when Magnum was alone to finally grab him. It didn't seem too far of a stretch to assume, even if he didn't remember what vehicle had been involved in his capture. But questions remained. Who had been driving the SUV? What did they want? And, then, why had they chosen now to finally strike? It wasn't like that morning was the first time he'd been alone in weeks. If all the driver of the SUV had been waiting for was that, Magnum would've found himself captured long before.

The echo of footsteps nearby as someone approached interrupted Magnum's thoughts. He barely had the energy to open his eyes, much less turn around to face whoever was approaching him. It was probably just one of the men who were guarding him anyway, and Magnum had already seen enough of them to last him forever. Whether they were there to ask more questions or just rough him up more for fun, he really didn't care. The outcome was going to be the same regardless.

Then he heard a door close, and he knew someone else had joined the party. But since it didn't sound like the arrival was causing any kind of chaos in the room, he also knew it wasn't rescue.

Bracing himself for whatever was coming next, Magnum forced his eyes open and sucked in a breath at the effort even that seemed to cost him. When the room stopped tilting, he was still facing away from the door, so he couldn't see who had joined the goons. He was gathering the energy it would take to turn when a familiar voice met his ears and froze him in his tracks.

It was a cold voice he'd hoped to never hear again in his life, yet here the man was in Hawaii. And not only that, but Magnum was once again at his mercy.

Someone kicked the back of his knees, knocking his feet from underneath him and sending him spinning at the end of the chains. He couldn't hold back the cry of pain as the sudden motion wrenched his shoulders and pulled at his already injured ribs. His breathing came quickly and heavily, and he groaned at the way each breath sent fire flashing through him.

"Hello, Magnum," came the voice again as the man walked around into Magnum's line of sight. "It's been much too long."

Magnum panted through clenched teeth as he glared at the tall figure now standing across from him. He ignored the roughness in his throat to put on as unaffected an air as possible as he returned the greeting. "Ivan."

"Do you think this has anything to do with that white SUV that's been following you guys?"

At T.C.'s question, Higgins glanced up from evaluating the scene around the Ferrari. "I don't know," she said thoughtfully. "It's one of our best leads right now, but the problem is we don't know much about who's behind it."

He nodded absently as he turned to look back at the red car. Although all three of the friends had been over the scene multiple times, none of them had found any additional clues to tell them anything about who had taken their friend or why. There was nothing as easy as a cell phone lying under the seat or a note of some kind; Thomas had simply vanished without a trace.

Sirens from down the road caught their attention, and they turned to see Katsumoto's unmarked unit coming toward them. T.C. lifted a hand to wave at where Rick was pacing a few yards away, his phone pressed to his ear.

His buddy was having an animated conversation with whoever was on the other end of the line, one of his many contacts around the various islands. To say Rick was well-connected was an understatement; he seemed to know a guy everywhere they went. If it helped them find Magnum, though, T.C. wasn't about to complain. He could only hope whoever Rick was talking to would be able to help them out in their search for their missing friend.

By the time the HPD detective had pulled to a stop by the side of the road, Rick had ended his call and was jogging over to rejoin Higgins and T.C. next to the Ferrari.

"Hey, Higgins, guys," Katsumoto greeted them with a nod, his voice grim. He surveyed the scene and sighed under his breath. "This is how you found it?"

Higgins nodded. "None of us have touched anything," she told him.

"Noted," Katsumoto replied. "I've got people on the way to process the scene. What can you tell me?" he continued, turning to look at Rick questioningly. Higgins had told him the two men had found the abandoned car when she'd called him while she was pushing the speed limits to get to the scene herself.

Glancing at T.C., Rick let his gaze drift back over the Ferrari as he spoke. "Not much," he said. "Unfortunately. This is how we found it, but it doesn't look like there's much to go on. The bullets look like they came from Magnum's weapon, but your guys will need to run ballistics to know for sure. And then…" He trailed off as he again took in the bloodstains on the grass in front of them.

"Okay," Katsumoto said, and his tone conveyed just how worried he was without him having to say more. "I'm assuming no one saw anything else, right? There were no signs of anyone else having been here when you pulled up?" He looked between T.C. and Rick with a raised eyebrow. "There was no gunfight I need to know about that would explain any of these shell casings scattered around?"

"We would've told you," T.C. was quick to assure him. "Promise."

Rick nodded quickly in agreement.

"Trust me," T.C. added. "This is our boy we're talking about here; if something's going on, we'd tell you. We want him back more than anyone."

In response, Katsumoto gave him an understanding look. "I get it. I want to find whoever did this as much as you." He looked between the other three. "I'll let you know if we find anything here. For now, I'd say just go home and be patient, but I also know that's not going to happen. So just keep me updated if you get any leads."

"Will do, Detective. Thank you," Higgins replied.

T.C. and Rick started to echo her sentiment, but, before anyone could say anything more, there was the sound of a car engine from down the road.

The four friends glanced that direction almost instinctively, before looking at each other with a mix of confusion and surprise playing across their faces.

A white Chevy Tahoe was idling at the far end of the street. It was impossible to tell who was behind the wheel from the distance between it and the group by the Ferrari, but there was no doubt in anyone's mind that it was the same SUV that had been following Magnum and Higgins for the past few weeks.

Rick started forward instinctively, but the driver threw the vehicle into reverse and then spun the wheel. The SUV roared off down the road.

Without hesitation, Rick sprinted for his car. He heard footsteps crunching behind him, but he didn't look to see which friend was on his heels; there was no time to waste. He threw open the car door and jumped behind the wheel, then glanced over at the passenger seat at the same time as he jammed the key into the ignition.

T.C. nodded at him as the other man closed the passenger door.

Rick threw the Porsche into gear and slammed his foot onto the accelerator. The tires squealed and then gained traction on the asphalt.

A cloud of dust up ahead told them where the SUV had gone. Rick clenched his jaw and gripped the steering wheel as he focused on the road ahead. The other vehicle itself was nowhere to be seen, even as the Porsche gained on where Rick had last seen the SUV.

"Come on, come on, come on," Rick muttered as he scanned the area. It was eerily similar to when they'd been hunting for any sign of the Ferrari, only now he was looking for the probable perpetrator. He only hoped catching up to the Tahoe would lead to them finding Magnum.

Although there was still dust hanging in the air, there was no sign of retreating tail lights. By the time they reached the main road where the fake workers had redirected Magnum, Rick and T.C. had to admit any chance of spotting the SUV was long gone. Still, Rick looked right and left, hoping against the tight feeling in his chest that he'd somehow manage to catch a glimpse of the white vehicle.

He exchanged a look with T.C., noting that his friend's face looked as glum as Rick himself felt. Neither of the men said anything; they didn't need to.

Their best lead had just disappeared in a cloud of dust, and they had no other clues at the moment. Magnum was in serious trouble, and they had no idea how to find him.

Magnum winced at the pain that flared through his chest and tried to get his breathing under control. He was long past exhausted but knew he had to keep going. Whatever Ivan wanted, Magnum had a feeling things were going to get much worse — and quickly, unless his friends happened to mount a rescue in the next few minutes.

The larger of the goons, the one who'd delivered the blow that had stunned Magnum long enough to be tied to the chair, appeared just then. The man was grinning and holding a car battery in one hand and jumper cables in the other, and Magnum swallowed.

Okay, make that the next few seconds.

But instead of heading straight for Magnum, the guy lifted the battery onto one of the workbenches and draped the cables over it.

Magnum tilted his head slightly, trying to figure out what could be coming next. Clearly, they wanted information, but he was no longer sure it had anything to do with Higgins. With Ivan involved, it had to be something else, but Magnum was at a loss for what it could be. He needed more details, more information to piece together what was going on.

He already knew he needed to hold out for as long as it took his friends to find him or until he could figure out a way to escape. Maybe he could play Ivan at the same time and gather intel that would tell him exactly what was going on. After all the things Ivan had done to the people Magnum cared about, there was no way he was going to get away again, not if Magnum could help it.

Of course, he needed to get out of his current predicament first. He couldn't exactly escape with the way he was bound to the metal chair, but there was no obvious way out. His wrists were cuffed; the chain between the manacles was longer than standard handcuffs, allowing it to be looped through the slats on the back of the chair. A tug against the bonds only resulted in a rattling noise as the chains scraped on the metal rungs. With nothing he could use to pick the lock, he could only sit there and try to make it through whatever was coming.

Besides the chains around his wrists, several loops of sturdy rope held his ankles to the legs of the chair. He'd already exhausted himself and strained his muscles trying to work at the bonds when his captors' backs were turned, hoping that freeing his legs would allow him to take advantage of the opportunity to escape if it presented itself. However, it was to no avail. The knots were too tight.

"Now," Ivan said, his voice cold and level while simultaneously sounding like he was anticipating whatever came next. "Either you're going to tell me what I want to know, or things are going to get really bad for you really fast."

"All your men asked me was where my partner had hidden whatever it is you want," Magnum replied as nonchalantly as he could manage. "And while I really appreciated the motivation they supplied, I'm not sure I can tell you anything more than what I told them."

Ivan chuckled. "I see nothing's changed since we last met," he commented, shaking his head. "I would have expected a man as intelligent as you to realize you only have one move here."

"Really?" Magnum asked. "Because I was going to say the same thing to you. Turn yourself in now, and you might actually survive this."

There was a moment of silence as the two men stared at each other, then Ivan stepped back and laughed loudly. The two goons standing nearby joined in with smirks and chuckles of their own. And then, instead of replying to his prisoner's comment at all, Ivan just looked over at the others and jerked his head toward Magnum in some sort of instruction.

Magnum barely had a chance to blink before one of the men strode forward and grabbed the back of the metal chair.

The man pulled the piece of furniture back so it was balanced on its back legs, and Magnum felt his stomach knot at the sudden change of direction. His legs tugged involuntarily at the ropes in a reaction to the shift, but they were still tied tightly.

He realized what was going to happen just before the man released his grip on the back of the chair. Magnum had just enough time to wrap his hands around the lowest slat he could reach before the chair was falling, hitting the ground with a bone-jarring thud that reverberated through Magnum's entire body. His head flew forward and then back at the sudden movement, and he saw stars as his skull smashed into the concrete floor.

Everything went dim and fuzzy as time seemed to blur together. When things finally cleared, it took Magnum a moment to reorient himself. At first, the whole room seemed to be upside down. He blinked and tried to focus his eyes. It took another long moment, but then he suddenly realized he was lying on his back, still tied to the chair where it had fallen.

The curve to the back of the chair along with his foresight to shift his hands meant he'd escaped landing on them. He supposed he at least had that to be grateful for. There wasn't much at the moment, but at least it was something.

Shifting, he winced, feeling the pain that flashed through his shoulders and neck when he attempted to shift. Whether it was from them bearing his full weight for so long previously or from something that had happened when he'd been thrown backward, he wasn't sure. And it really didn't matter at the moment anyway.

The more pressing matter was what his captors had planned for this next part of the interrogation. He was in a less than ideal position — helpless, for lack of a better word — and completely at the mercy of Ivan's guys.

He fully expected a booted foot to land in his side at any moment, but none came. Magnum didn't let himself breathe easy, though; Ivan wanted something, and Magnum knew from experience the other man wasn't going to just let it go because Magnum claimed not to know anything. His mind helpfully supplied a dozen different things that could be about to happen, and none of them were good.

Movement somewhere above him caught his attention, and he carefully looked up. He clenched his jaw as his vision swam but forced his head to stay up. He saw one of Ivan's goons coming toward him with a large bucket in each hand. From the way the man's arm muscles were tensed and seemed to be straining, the containers weighed a significant amount. And, with his gaze still turned toward the goon, Magnum suddenly realized there were several other buckets already sitting behind his chair.

Footsteps next to Magnum's ear had him dropping his gaze to glance over to his right. The brief glimpse of a cloth in the second goon's hand, combined with what were no doubt buckets of water, was enough to confirm Magnum's suspicions.

"Are you going to answer my question?" Ivan asked. "Or do you need some encouragement?"

"I did answer it," Magnum replied simply, tucking his chin slightly to look up at where the other man was standing over him. "It might not be the answer you want to hear, but I did. So I guess we're done here."

A look flashed over Ivan's face, and he sighed. "I hoped for your sake we wouldn't get to this point," he said. "I mean, to be clear, I don't mind how far we have to go. In fact, after what you've put me through, I'm more than happy to take this as far as you want."

Something in the man's tone told Magnum he meant exactly what he'd said.

Ivan waited a beat and then, when the man in the chair didn't respond right away, shook his head. "Well, don't say I didn't try to let you off easy."

"Okay, okay, wait a minute," Magnum spoke up quickly as Ivan gestured to the man holding the cloth. "Let's just talk about this. I'm sure we can come to some kind of understanding, right?" He glanced from the goon to Ivan and then over to the man setting the buckets down next to his head. The dull sound of water splashing inside of them did nothing to settle his uneasiness.

The goon with the cloth knelt next to Magnum's head.

"Last chance," Ivan said.

Magnum's gaze darted around, trying to come up with some sort of response to delay the inevitable. "Hold on." He looked back to Ivan. "What was it you were looking for again? Something you lost, was it?"

The last thing he saw was Ivan's smile before the cloth came down over his face.

Chapter Text

Knowing exactly what was coming didn't make the anticipation any less intense. Magnum felt his stomach clench as he tried to prepare himself. He'd been tortured before; his current situation was no different. The other men weren't going to kill him — not yet, at least; Ivan still needed the information from him. Although Magnum was completely certain that was going to happen eventually if he couldn't get away in time, it was clear his captors wanted to find out whatever they thought he knew first. That meant they were going to do their very best to convince him he was dying, but they weren't going to actually let him die.

He heard the muffled sound of sloshing from somewhere off to his left and sucked in as deep of a breath as he could manage — and barely had time to brace himself before the barrage of freezing water hit his face.

The towel was being held tightly over Magnum's face, pinned in place so that tossing his head did nothing to dislodge it.

And the water just kept coming.

Even though Magnum knew how to hold his breath for a significant amount of time, he wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to resist taking in a breath. He'd had training, sure, but this was no simple mission where he was swimming to shore for an infiltration.

He felt the cloth settle around his nose and mouth, the water soaking the cloth causing it to form a seal of sorts around his face. Even if he had wanted to take a breath now, there was no way he would be able to.

His lungs burned as he gritted his teeth, resolving not to let the torture get to his head and cause him to take a breath. That would surely come with a lungful of water, and that would be the end of it. He couldn't allow himself to give in. He had to hold out, had to refuse to inhale. If he could just hold his breath for long enough…

The water continued to pour over his face in a steady stream.

His legs jerked against the ropes in an instinctive attempt to free himself, and his arms did the same against the chains. He knew he shouldn't be expending the energy; he needed to preserve every bit of oxygen if he hoped to make it through the torture, but he couldn't help it.

He tried to focus, tried to keep the rising panic down. It was one thing to hold his breath while swimming, even the times things had gone wrong. It was an entirely different thing now.

Somehow, he managed, even though his lungs were burning and he just wanted to take a breath.

There was a pause as the water let up, and the man holding the cloth over his face pulled it off. Magnum blinked in the lights now shining right in his face, inhaling deeply as soon as the sodden towel was gone. The quick breath included water droplets that had been on the edge of his nose, and he coughed as they went down his throat.

"Anything to say?" Ivan's voice came from the shadows.

"I can do this all day."

The goon smashed the cloth back down over Magnum's face just before the water resumed.

Magnum clenched his jaw again, resolving to outlast this next round. As the pressure on his face increased, he tried tossing his head to the side again but, again, had no luck. The guy holding the cloth down was strong, and the wet fabric was tight against Magnum's nose and mouth. The darkness from where it covered his eyes was inescapable, and Magnum knew he had no chance at getting out from under the towel.

His feet kicked again and his arms jerked as his body instinctively tried to get out from underneath the threat to his safety. He could feel the water starting to trickle down his nose, a combination of his head being tilted back and the incessant stream of water raining down on him. As the liquid crept into his nasal passages, his gag reflex was triggered, and Magnum began to cough and choke on the frigid water that just kept coming.

And then the cloth came off again. He gulped at the fresh air, feeling the burning in his throat and coughing even harder as his body tried to both expel the water it had already taken in and inhale as much air as he could manage.

"Where did your partner store the information she'd gathered?" Ivan asked.

Magnum just shook his head and coughed again; even if he could have spoken, he wouldn't have. There was nothing more to say.

And then someone's foot buried itself in his side, causing him to cry out and suck in a breath at the unexpected pain that flashed through his chest. At the same moment, the towel was again pressed down over his face, muffling his pained gasp, and the bucket of water was again upended over him.

He couldn't keep the water out of his lungs, and he began coughing and choking as it flooded his airway.

Everything was burning, and he couldn't stop it. His throat and nose and sinuses felt like they were on fire, and his attempts to still his breathing and calm himself were unsuccessful. He was suffocating, drowning, and he couldn't do anything to stop it.

His surroundings were already black, blocked out by the cloth obscuring his vision, but he still knew when he started to fade. The sounds of water pouring and men saying something nearby all blurred together. Magnum tried to stop himself from taking in more water, tried to tell himself it would all be over soon one way or another, but then everything started to fade away.

He could feel himself stop struggling as the world started to disappear…

The next thing he knew, the cloth was no longer over his face and someone was patting his cheek roughly.

Magnum groaned as his eyes flickered open on their own. He wished he could've just stayed unconscious; it was preferable to what was undoubtedly going to be another round of waterboarding.

He coughed, feeling the burning in the back of his nose, and had to turn his head to the side at the liquid that bubbled up in the back of his throat as he coughed harder. And then he was coughing more, his throat burning and his chest constricting. By the time he'd managed to calm his breathing, everything felt like it was on fire. He shut his eyes with another groan and cautiously exhaled.

"Come on, Magnum. I'm not going to let you give up that easily."

Tentatively opening his eyes, Magnum looked over at where Ivan was standing with crossed arms, watching him. "Why not? Seems like it'd be easier," he mumbled, then coughed again at the way the words grated on his throat.

"Tell me where the intel is, and this can all be over," Ivan said simply.

"What intel?" Magnum asked hoarsely. "I didn't even know you existed until you sent your hired guns after me. What—" Another cough interrupted him.

And then the cloth was back over his face, and the water started all over again.

T.C. gripped the wheel a little tighter as he watched the road. Higgins was sitting next to T.C. in the front of the Island Hoppers van while Rick was behind them in the middle seat. Both looked as worried as T.C. felt, along with the determined looks that also echoed what he was thinking.

Rick was working his phone again, no doubt texting contacts around the island and trying to gather intel on what might've happened to Thomas, while Higgins was keeping a close eye on the passing scenery.

"Up here," Higgins pointed, looking from the tablet in her lap back to the road. "Take this left."

"You sure this is where the white SUV went before the crime scene?" Rick asked. He tilted his head. "And do you think he was just scoping out our progress on the scene or was he coming after one of us now that he's got Thomas?"

Glancing up at the rearview mirror to meet Rick's gaze, T.C. shrugged a shoulder. "That's a good question. We don't even know what this guy wants, but I sure have a few questions for him," he added grimly.

Higgins paused where she was tapping on the tablet and turned to glance back at Rick. "Well, let's just hope we find something at the docks to tell us more." She didn't have to add that the information they were currently following was one of their only real leads at the moment. If this didn't pan out, they would be back to square one and at a loss for where Thomas might be.

"You're sure this is where the SUV was earlier today?" Rick asked then, letting his phone rest in his lap while he looked back up at the others. He lifted an eyebrow at Higgins. "You said it was right around the same time Magnum went missing, right?"

She nodded. "Since we had no luck tracking it down after it left the crime scene and managed to shake you two, I decided to try tracing its path in reverse on the chance that it would lead us to wherever they took Magnum."

"But we tried that before and we didn't have any sign of it when whoever took T.M. ambushed him," T.C. remarked.

"Yeah, and there aren't exactly an abundance of cameras around where he got attacked," Rick added.

Higgins made a face. "That's true, and it did make things a bit more difficult, but I… well, let's just say I borrowed a satellite feed and was able to run a program that found the SUV on surrounding roads close to the same time. Unfortunately, it didn't have data from the whole day, but I was able to find footage from when we saw it at the crime scene. Oh, turn right here, T.C."

"Let's just hope this isn't another dead end," Rick commented.

Higgins gave him a small smile and then shifted back in her seat to face forward again. A text box popped up on her screen, and she tapped to dismiss it and then started typing in one of the open windows as she watched the map they were following. There was only one reason the people who'd taken Thomas would have needed to go to the docks afterward, and it wasn't good.

It seemed her friends were thinking the same thing because T.C. sighed. "And that they took him to another island and not another country."

Neither of the others said anything in response, but they didn't have to.

Minutes later, they were pulling into a parking space near the docks. T.C. had barely cut the engine before Rick and Higgins jumped out and ran toward the edge of the water.

All three turned around, surveying the area and hoping desperately they'd find some sort of clue to point them to where their friend might have been taken. They knew more than to expect the kidnappers would still be nearby, but there was always the chance there would be something left behind.

They really didn't have anything else to go on.

Unfortunately, nothing looked out of place. Rick sighed and ran a hand through his hair as he looked around. Of the few people who were coming and going, none of them appeared suspicious in the least. There was a couple walking arm in arm, as well as a group of five college-aged kids toting an assortment of coolers and beach bags. Nothing about any of the passersby screamed "kidnappers" in any way, not even if Rick squinted. The couple seemed to be tourists, and the kids just looked like they were planning to head out for some fun on the water.

"I'm going this way," T.C. announced as he turned to the left and jogged down the dock.

Higgins and Rick exchanged a glance, then Higgins started toward the couple who had stopped to watch the horizon.

Rick let her go and headed in the opposite direction from T.C. He hurried down the boardwalk, listening to the water lapping at the side of the dock, and trying to take in everything around him. If the white SUV was connected to the ambush and Higgins had traced it to the docks, then that meant Thomas had been at the docks as well. And if Thomas had been at the docks, there had to be some kind of clue left behind.

He didn't want to think about what might happen if they couldn't find any new leads on the case.

Being unsure of what exactly was looking for didn't help matters at all. Rick stopped and sighed, scanning the area around him once again. It was possible Thomas was being held in one of the boats, but there were well over two dozen docked nearby and even more around the marina. It would be close to impossible to search all of them without alerting the kidnappers.

Rick cast one more look around before starting forward down the docks again, and that was when something in the corner of his eye caught his attention.

He glanced over and realized it was a small strip of paper fluttering in the breeze blowing in off the water. It was stuck on a splinter of wood on the dock near an empty berth.

At first, he was tempted to dismiss it, but something made him move closer to take another look.

He bent down to inspect the scrap more closely, and his chest tightened when he made out the design on the piece of orange paper. He would recognize it anywhere.

"Wait, you want us to wear these all week?" Thomas chuckled, studying the paper wristband in his hands. He glanced over at T.C., who spread his hands.

"Don't look at me, brother. This wasn't my idea."

Rick nodded, looking slightly offended as he took in the looks his friends were giving each other. "Come on, guys. It's not like I'm asking you to do something hard, and you're already wearing them for tonight anyway. It'll help promote the bar if you wear them around the island." He gave Thomas a pointed look. "I think providing a little advertising is the least you can do for everything I do to help you out."

Thomas had laughed and agreed to do so, Rick remembered as he stared down at the wristband in his hand.

There was no question in his mind. It had to be Thomas's. It was simply too much of a coincidence not to be.

He spun around to look for Higgins and T.C. to show them his discovery, but then T.C.'s deep voice rang out from farther down the docks.

"Hey! Hey, guys!"

Rick quickly spotted his friend coming back toward them. Clenching the wristband in his fist, Rick quickened his pace, and he joined Higgins just as T.C. came up to the two of them.

"I just ran into a guy I know who works here at the docks," T.C. explained quickly, gesturing behind him.

"Oh, so you know a guy now?" Rick couldn't help asking with a smirk.

T.C. chuckled and shook his head. "His name's Eddie; I met him a few years back. Anyway, I asked him if he'd seen anything this morning that seemed suspicious, and it turns out he saw a few big guys boarding one of the boats here. Based on the time we know Thomas got directed onto the wrong road and when the white SUV was here, it seems to match up. They could be the guys we're looking for."

Rick's stomach clenched in anticipation. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Higgins shift, and he knew his friend was feeling the same thing he was. "Did he see Thomas?"

"No," T.C. replied, shaking his head grimly. "That's the problem. All we'd have now is circumstantial. It won't be enough to get the police involved."

"Maybe not." Rick tilted his head. He held out his hand to show the others the wristband he'd picked up. "I found this by one of the empty slips." 

T.C.'s eyes widened. "That's T.M.'s."

"If you know where you found it, we can get information from the marina on what boat was docked there this morning," Higgins spoke up. "And if Eddie can describe the men he saw, that puts us that much closer to finding who took Magnum."

They hurried to act on the information they'd found, and it wasn't long before Higgins had Katsumoto on the line.

"And your guy doesn't know anything about where this boat… the Ora Lea was headed?" the detective asked after they had explained the situation.

"No," Higgins replied. "All he could say was it pulled in very early this morning and then left again shortly after our timeline of when Magnum was taken. Whoever owned it didn't provide any information; our guy noticed it because it's never docked here before."

"Okay," Katsumoto sighed. "I'll contact the Coast Guard and keep you guys in the loop. Thanks for the info."

Rick cleared his throat. "Gordon, we—"

"Look," Katsumoto interrupted, "I understand you all want to find Magnum. I do too. But you need to let me do my job. I'll reach out to the Coast Guard about the boat, and I promise I'll update you as soon as I know anything. For now, just sit tight."

The call ended and the three friends looked at each other.

"He just has to say that," Rick finally spoke up. "But Gordon knows he can't keep us out of this, not when it's Thomas's life at stake."

Higgins and T.C. nodded.

"Of course, we're not going to just wait around for info from the Coast Guard," Higgins said with a nod. "I'll start working on finding footage of where the boat went after it left this marina."

"And I'll keep working my contacts," Rick added. "Someone has to know something. We just need to look under the right rock."

T.C. squared his shoulders. "We're going to find him."

They didn't have to wait long for Katsumoto and a team from HPD to arrive to process the scene at the docks. The three friends were waiting by the large orange van when the detective pulled up nearby and came over to join them.

Katsumoto glanced between the three and then looked meaningfully at the tablet Higgins was holding tucked against her side. "Anything I need to know?" he asked pointedly.

She just shook her head. "If there were, I promise I'd tell you. But I haven't had any luck so far. I have to, shall we say, wait for resources to become available in this situation."

"Uh-huh," Katsumoto replied slowly. He waited for a moment, then sighed. "Okay, so, what else can you tell me about what happened here?"

Rick cleared his throat. "Well, maybe your guys can get access to the cameras for the marina. It looks like there are a few placed around the property, but it's an old system, and the manager says we need a warrant. He won't budge on that."

"Meaning Higgins can't hack it and none of you could talk your way inside to get a look at the footage," Katsumoto remarked, shaking his head. "All right. Leave that to me."

"Anything from the Coast Guard yet?" T.C. asked then.

Katsumoto shook his head. "I've put in a call, just waiting to hear back at this point. Now," he continued, "where did you find the wristband?"

By the time they'd finished giving their statements and filling Katsumoto in on everything they'd managed to learn, it was late in the afternoon. All of them were well aware of how quickly the day was passing, and the idea of Magnum still missing after so long did not sit well with anyone. The last thing they wanted was for their friend to spend a moment longer as a prisoner, but the clues they did have didn't point them in any particular direction for finding him.

Rick was walking behind T.C. as they headed back to the van when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Quickly digging it out, he unlocked the screen to read over the text that had just come through.

T.C. and Higgins stopped to wait for news, knowing by the look on their friend's face that he might just have the break they needed in the case.

After a few moments had passed, Rick fired off a reply and then looked up to meet the others' expectant gazes. He swallowed and gestured with his phone as he started to explain. "It looks like someone was asking around a little while back about buying a boat off the record. Quick sale at twice the actual value."

"Sounds like it could be our guys," Higgins observed.

Rick nodded. "My guy said he could give us more info on the buyer, but he won't do it over the phone. In-person only."

"Just give me an address," T.C. said immediately. He had his keys in his hand and his jaw clenched in determination. "Let's go talk to this guy."

Chapter Text

Magnum sat hunched in the chair, shivering as his breath came in ragged gasps.

Burn marks marred his still-damp shirt and told just how much Ivan had put him through after the waterboarding had stopped.

His captors were standing nearby, but Magnum could barely concentrate on them. He'd already lost all track of time. The constant barrage of water and the fact that he'd passed out at least twice during the first part of the interrogation had contributed to making him disoriented, nauseous, and completely exhausted. And the small sense of time he'd managed to regain had been chased from his mind as the metal ends of the jumper cables had been pressed against his chest.

Compounding the way his stomach was rolling was the smell hanging in the air. It wasn't just one smell, more a collection of them, and they didn't add up to anything appetizing. The room was musty, thanks to the lack of drainage keeping the water — the water the goons had just tried to drown him with, for that matter — in pools on the floor. Magnum could hear it sloshing every time one of his captors walked past him on one side.

The fan on the wall barely contributed any circulation to the air, and so it hung, thick and oppressive like a wet cloth. As if that wasn't enough, the unmistakable stench of burnt flesh added an even worse layer to it all. That was a smell Magnum was all too familiar with from years before, one he'd hoped he'd never have to smell again but simultaneously would never forget.

Magnum swallowed, tasting the overwhelming scent of copper in the back of his throat. Bile burned as it started to rise, and his attempt to stifle it sparked a deep cough that made him wince at the pain the motion sparked. Another cough came then, and, this time, he wasn't sure he could stop coughing. It was coming from deep in his chest, rumbling around, causing the deep ache there to grow with each breath. It just added to the pain he was already feeling, both from the repeated drowning and from when the men who had kidnapped him had worked him over, and everything became one big mass of pain and breathlessness.

At the same time, he was almost certain he was going to be violently ill. There was a churning in his gut that was making its way up his throat, and he tried desperately to shove the nausea back down. He had enough problems right then; no need to add the certain agony that would come from vomiting with the current pain that was shooting through his sides and wrapping his chest in fire.

Somehow, he was finally able to get the coughing fit under control — thankfully, without being sick. He took a pointed, shallow breath as he tried to ease the way he was now panting as his lungs struggled for air.

The feeling of someone slapping his face brought his eyes open again, and he blinked blearily at the figure in front of him. It took an enormous effort for him to focus, and, when he finally managed to, it was to see Ivan standing in front of him.

The criminal's arms were folded as he leaned forward, watching his prisoner's face intently. When he saw Magnum blink at him, Ivan grinned and shifted back on his heels. "There you are," he greeted. "Ready to talk yet?"

Magnum swallowed. "I told you, I don't know what you want."

That prompted another shake of Ivan's head, and he waved to someone standing just out of Magnum's line of sight. "You're going to talk," Ivan said simply. "It's just a matter of how much pain you want to go through before you do. Come on. All you have to do is tell me what your partner has on me." If it was possible, Ivan's voice grew even chillier. "Otherwise, maybe I'll just have to go and find one of your friends to motivate you. Maybe Higgins?"

"Don't you dare," Magnum growled, his voice cracking on the last word. He coughed again but didn't break eye contact with Ivan. "She doesn't know any more about you than I do, which isn't much," he added. "I dunno what you think we have on you."

"Ah ah," Ivan corrected. "Come now, Magnum; you must remember. You went after Hayek, after all; the CIA must have had more on me than just that connection. Do you expect me to believe you don't know anything else?" he scoffed.

Something about the way the other man said Hayek's name made Magnum pause. 'Partner… CIA…' The words echoed through his head, tumbling around as if they were trying to tell him something.

But what…

And then it hit him.

Hannah.

Magnum clenched his jaw, barely stopping himself from saying her name.

It was her, though. It had to be. There was no way they meant Higgins; even if they'd figured out she had been a spy, they would have assumed MI6, even if they hadn't had access to her background. It was an almost sure bet no one would think she was CIA. The mercs Ivan had hired certainly hadn't seemed to know she was anything besides a majordomo. And, speaking of the mercs, Magnum knew from his encounter with them that Ivan was after the SEAL who had been the inspiration for Robin's books. That meant they were after someone who had essentially been Magnum's partner while he was overseas. And since they weren't concerned with any of the military team Magnum had worked with, that just left Hannah as an option.

As his interrogator turned back to him, cables in either hand, Magnum decided to take a chance on his deduction. If nothing else, it would at least buy him some time.

"Hang on." He coughed but was satisfied to see the man pause. "Hang on. You… you want to know what intel she gathered on you while we were overseas? And you… you think I have it?" He gritted his teeth through another spasm of pain and then continued when no one interjected. "Let me guess… Someone dug up details on your criminal networks and dealings, and you think they just… what? Left it with me?"

He wasn't watching the goon anymore, instead keeping his gaze firmly fixed on where Ivan was standing a few paces away. The way the criminal's expression flickered for a split second told Magnum he was on the right track.

His mind was spinning, working a hundred miles an hour.

Hannah must have been collecting info on Ivan, although Magnum didn't know how long she'd been at it or if she'd continued after betraying Magnum and his teammates to the Taliban…

He shook his head in an attempt to banish the memory and forced himself to focus. It made sense though. Magnum could only guess at what she'd intended to do with the intel, but she'd never used it to take Ivan down, so she must have been planning to use it to her advantage at some point. She'd used some of it to go after certain targets, like the Hayek op — Robin had been in on that one — but it wasn't a leap to assume she had much more tucked away somewhere.

Before she'd sold them out and then subsequently disappeared from the job, she must have hidden the intel away somewhere she knew it would be safe… but somewhere no one else would think to look even if she was suspected of something and her things were searched. And that meant she would've hidden it in something she'd be sure he'd keep…

"And then I want to see the place you used to go to with your dad."

"Luray Caverns?"

"Yeah, I wanna see it."

The conversation flashed through his mind, and he swallowed hard at the rush of feelings that swept through him at the memory of her voice. The bile that was still threatening to come up uninvited was hot in his throat.

He couldn't afford to go down that path. No, he needed to keep talking, keep Ivan on his toes, buy the others enough time to find him. And that meant solving this case in front of him, even if he wasn't about to give Ivan any of the pieces to the puzzle that was starting to come together.

There was only one place Hannah would've hidden something she couldn't risk getting lost, one place above all others she would've known would be safe.

His dad's watch.

Magnum swallowed again. He didn't have the watch on at the moment, and there was no way he was telling Ivan anything — and not just because that would send the man or his goons to the estate and potentially put his friends in harm's way again.

Meanwhile, his captor continued, seemingly oblivious to what Magnum had deduced. "I found out someone from the CIA had gotten to one of my people." Ivan shrugged. "At the time, I didn't know who or what they'd done with it. After a year or so, I managed to find the person at fault and… convinced him to talk, but whoever he'd been talking to had enough layers of deniability that he didn't know any names."

The look on Ivan's face told Magnum all he needed to know about just how the criminal had gotten that information.

"Let me guess, you two had a nice chat over a couple of cold beers?" Magnum grinned crookedly, feeling the expression tug at his swollen face.

Ivan lifted an eyebrow but otherwise didn't acknowledge the remark. "All he could tell me was that the SEAL from Robin Masters' novels knew where the intel is. After that, I did my homework and learned of the connection to the CIA." He shrugged. "As I'm sure you can appreciate, I do need to destroy that information before it ends up in the wrong hands. So here we are."

Then Ivan gestured to the goon who'd been standing silently during the exchange, and Magnum's eyes followed the man as he turned toward the battery again.

"Wait!'' Magnum coughed as the word tore at his raw throat. "Hang on." He allowed himself to relax ever so slightly as the goon paused. "That's why you went after me like you did before," he said quickly, turning back to Ivan. "You did want Hayek, but you were also testing me to see if I was really the SEAL you were after."

The memory of Ivan's words in the jungle popped into Magnum's mind then. Ivan had left off on his explanation about what he wanted out of Hayek and Magnum with nothing more than a smirk and a cryptic, "I'll leave it at that for now." There hadn't been time to press the issue then, but now Magnum was certain this was the conversation they would've had in the Triple Frontier if the other man had been willing to continue chatting.

The goon standing beside his chair backhanded Magnum across the face, the blow rocking the prisoner to the side.

Ringing exploded in Magnum's ears to match the stars that had overtaken his vision. He felt a sharp pain in his neck from his head jerking suddenly, but he was too busy concentrating on trying to breathe to care at the moment.

Rough fingers grasped his jaw and pulled him to face forward again. Magnum could smell the goon's breath as the man leaned in to snarl, "Answer the question!"

"Leave him!" Ivan's voice rang out from nearby.

Magnum blinked, forcing his eyes open to squint at the imposing figure standing in front of him.

"Uh, sir?" The goon sounded even more surprised than Magnum felt. "He didn't—"

"I want to hear this," Ivan replied harshly. Then he turned his attention back to the prisoner in the chair. "That's a good story. But why would I do that?"

Magnum glanced sideways at the goon, then swallowed and nodded. "Right, well, I was thinking. Even after you found out I was the SEAL behind Robin's books, it wouldn't make sense to jump straight to torturing me for info if your source was incorrect, and you couldn't be sure the part of the book that seemed to be based on the Hayek op wasn't just something Robin coincidentally made up. Which, by the way," he added with a pained chuckle, "it's pretty funny that someone like you spends his spare time reading the White Knight novels. What, do you keep paperbacks in your bathroom just in case?"

His chuckle broke off into a grunt as the goon slammed a fist into his stomach.

Magnum coughed as he hunched over instinctively, feeling the tears leaking from the corners of his eyes at the sudden lack of air. The move pulled at his shoulders from where his arms were secured to the chair.

A moment passed in silence, and then he felt fingers tangling in his hair and yanking his head up. Magnum gasped at the sudden movement, then coughed and took a ragged breath past the pain tightening his chest as the goon released him with a small shove.

"You were saying?" Ivan's voice was cold.

Magnum took another tentative breath, wincing as he did so. 'Come on, Thomas,' he told himself. 'Pull it together. You just have to outlast him.'

Another breath and he slowly nodded and continued. "Uh, right…" He coughed again. "You knew the SEAL who'd worked with the person who had all that intel on you was the one who went after Hayek the first time… because you were involved with him even then," Magnum added quickly, the thought suddenly hitting him. After all, Hannah had been the one to identify Hayek as a target the first time. It made sense, and, judging from the look that flickered through Ivan's eyes, Magnum was right. "You didn't want to waste the time or energy on me if I wasn't the person you were after, and I'm too well-connected as a P.I. No need to make a mess if I didn't know anything."

Ivan crossed his arms. "Go on."

Although Magnum was pretty sure the other man just wanted to find out how much he'd pieced together, the conversation was keeping his captors occupied. That was good, and not only because it was keeping them from going another round with the cables — or the water. It was also buying Magnum time; there was no doubt in his mind his friends were looking for him. The longer he could hold out against Ivan's questioning, the more time it gave the others to find him.

"That's why you went undercover in the Triple Frontier," Magnum continued a moment later, wincing as he coughed again. "You didn't want to reveal yourself if it wasn't necessary, but you wanted to observe first-hand so you could make an immediate decision. You cut out the middleman and just went yourself."

He tilted his head, wincing at the pain that shot through him as he tried to focus on the facts tumbling into place in his mind. "Hayek might have been paranoid, but he was still working, which means he still had contacts he trusted, any one of which you could've bought off. But you weren't really after him, were you? He would've just been a nice bonus. Hayek was your way to make sure I was who you were after."

Watching Ivan closely, Magnum was rewarded with the indication his theory was right. "You had planned to take me prisoner along with Hayek if that op had gone according to plan, hadn't you? But it didn't. We escaped and threw off your initial plans. So now… what?" he asked. "You want revenge for the Hayek op as well as finding the intel you're after?"

"What can I say?" Ivan grinned, and the expression sent chills down Magnum's spine. "I like to multitask. Now," he continued, "you know what I want. Where is it?"

Magnum set his jaw and returned the other man's gaze. "You can do whatever you want to me," he said firmly, ignoring the way his throat and chest still ached. "I'm not going to tell you."

"Hmm," Ivan hummed. "Pity. But I'm sure you'll feel differently if we bring one of your friends in for a little motivation."

Despite his best efforts to remain impassive, Magnum felt the blood drain from his face. He knew Ivan had seen the change in his expression, and, sure enough, the man smirked coldly.

"Who should I bring in? Rick? T.C.? Or how about that lovely partner of yours, Higgins? Oh, I hear she lasted quite a while when my people tried to question her before." Ivan clicked his tongue. "I wonder how long she'd hold out a second time?"

Magnum yanked at the bonds holding him in place and growled. The burning in his chest threatened to betray him, and he did his best to choke down his cough. He knew he couldn't convince the man not to carry out whatever plan he had, so he settled for threats instead. Maybe if he angered the guy enough, Ivan would stay focused on him. "I'm going to kill you."

"I'll leave you to think things over while we invite someone else to the party," was all Ivan said before he turned and strode for the door.

The guards followed close behind him, disappearing from Magnum's line of sight as they walked behind the chair to head for the exit.

The dull, metallic sound of the door swinging closed echoed behind the criminals, and Magnum suddenly found himself alone.

Higgins' phone rang while they were on the highway, and she immediately put it on speaker. "Gordon," she said in greeting, looking up to meet Rick's hopeful gaze from the rear seat. "Has the Ferrari been processed?"

Even though they all knew it would take a while to get any test results back, it had been some time, and Rick knew they were all hoping for an affirmative answer.

"We didn't find any prints at the scene besides Magnum's," came the reply. "We're still waiting to hear back from the lab on the blood."

All three let out a sigh at the lack of news.

"But I have some news for you on that boat that was docked by where you found the wristband," Katsumoto continued. "The Coast Guard managed to locate it on the way to Kauai. Unfortunately, it looks like Magnum wasn't being held there."

"What?" Higgins asked, the confusion clear on her face. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. They searched every inch of the vessel, but there was no sign of Magnum. The men who were on board are being brought back to Honolulu for questioning, but they're not talking at the moment."

Rick cleared his throat. "Any chance there's a way to track where these guys had been before this?"

"We're working on it," Katsumoto assured him. "I just figured you'd want to know what had happened with the boat."

"Thanks, Gordon," Higgins acknowledged.

They could almost see the detective nod in acknowledgment as he replied, "I'll keep in touch."

T.C. was the first to break the silence that had descended over the van. "Now what?"

"We go talk to my guy," Rick said firmly. "And meanwhile, Higgy, any chance your program can find where the boat went before it headed out to sea?"

As he asked the question, T.C. started nodding along. "You're thinking it stopped somewhere else before the Coasties caught up to it?"

Higgins snapped her fingers. "Right. We were only looking for its path as it headed out to sea because we assumed they were making for another island or even breaking for international waters."

"So it's possible we missed it making a pit stop before that," Rick finished. He made a face. "I can't believe we didn't think of that sooner."

"Hey," T.C. said in response, "we were all focused on what seemed like the most obvious conclusion when we found out Magnum had to have been on that boat."

Swallowing, Rick tried to nod along. He still hated the fact that he'd let himself lose track of all the possibilities. It was something Thomas never would've done, and Rick clenched his jaw. If one of them had gone missing, Thomas would have thought through all of the angles. They owed him to do just as thorough of a job now that he was the one in trouble.

"I'll see what I can find," Higgins said then, interrupting Rick's thoughts. She reached into her bag on the floorboard for her tablet. "If these guys stopped anywhere after leaving that marina, I'll find out."

Kumu tried to stifle her worry as she pushed open the door to the cultural center. It had been a long day, and they were still nowhere close to finding Thomas. There had been little she could do to assist in the actual investigation, so she had gone in to work and try to take her mind off the situation. She'd kept her phone close at hand, just in case one of the others called her with an update about the case. However, there hadn't been much to report, and she had only gotten periodic texts letting her know how things were going.

But now that she had wrapped up the responsibilities she had at the cultural center, she was planning to head back to the estate and see what help she could be in tracking down leads on Thomas's whereabouts.

As she dug her keys out of her purse, Kumu sighed. She'd known Thomas Magnum long enough to know he usually found a way out of the trouble in which the man routinely found himself. However, it didn't stop her from being concerned about him every time it happened. She only hoped this would turn out to be another in the long line of escapades where Thomas figured a way out of whatever danger he'd gotten himself into. The private investigator might be a magnet for danger, but he always made it through one way or another.

A car engine grew louder behind her, and Kumu glanced up at the sound. She stepped out of the way so the vehicle could pass her, but then the sound of the engine changed. It sounded as if whoever was driving had parked rather than continued forward to drive past her.

She turned instinctively to look and then froze at the sight of a white SUV just a few yards away.

The feeling of something hard and cold pressed into the small of her back made her take a quick breath and freeze in her tracks.

"Don't turn around," a deep voice growled in her ear. "Hands up."

Kumu swallowed and nodded. "Okay. Okay. Take it easy," she said nervously, her hands going up almost instinctively.

"Toss your purse on the ground."

That gave her pause for just a moment; she'd been hoping to figure out a way to dial 911 or call Juliet back if given half the chance, but it seemed like that was no longer going to be an option. 

"Now!" the man barked, and he pushed a little harder with what Kumu could only assume was a gun to underscore his point.

Kumu didn't waste any more time before obeying. She pulled the bag off of her arm and then gave it a gentle underhanded throw toward the cars parked off to her right. Swallowing again, she returned her hands to their previous position. "There. I did it. What do you want? I don't have much money, but what I have is in—"

The gun dug into her back again. "Stop talking. Get in the car."

She bit her lip at that. Something told her it would be a very bad idea to follow the order, but she wasn't sure what else she could do. She wasn't Higgins or one of the guys; they'd all had training, but she didn't have many options other than to obey and hope for the best.

When the man prodded her with the gun, she swallowed hard and then nodded. "Okay, okay. I'm going."

A feeling of dread was settling in her stomach. Although she had been in her share of bad situations since becoming friends with Higgins, Magnum, and the others and had gotten through them safely, it didn't mean this was not going to be the exception. She could only hope the man needed her for something. He was driving a white SUV; maybe he was the one who was responsible for what had happened to Thomas… although Kumu wasn't sure if it was a good thing if he was or if she should hope he wasn't.

They reached the SUV just then, and Kumu tried to catch a glimpse of her captor in the window of the vehicle. The only thing she could see, though, was that he was a foot or so taller than she was. Besides that, she couldn't make out anything else; the guy was wearing a black ski mask, and his light jacket obscured any other identifying features like a tattoo.

"Open the door," he ordered. As she did as she'd been told, he continued. "There's a hood on the back seat. Buckle up and then put it on."

Stomach sinking even more, Kumu did so. Darkness fell around her as she pulled the dark bag over her head, then she felt something cold and hard close around her left wrist. The sound of handcuffs clicking accompanied a tug on her arm as the man attached the cuffs to something else in the car.

"My apologies, but I can't have you trying something while I'm driving," the man said, his voice close by her ear.

A moment later, Kumu heard her door close, then another door farther away closed as well. Then the vehicle lurched and started forward.

Anyone watching would have seen the white SUV turn out of the parking lot before speeding off down the otherwise quiet road in front of the cultural center.

Chapter Text

Magnum wasn't sure how long it had been since the door behind him had slammed shut. He'd tried to concentrate, to figure out a way to escape while he was alone, but he'd had no luck.

Whether it was due to his damp shirt, the draft from the fan, the shock from what he'd been put through, or a combination of all three, constant shivers had him exhausted and hunched over in the chair. He couldn't lean over very far with his arms stretched behind him, and that only added to the strain on his muscles every time another spasm racked his body.

He was doing his best to ignore the aching and burning in his throat and chest, left over from what he'd suffered already. There was nothing he could do about it for the moment, and he needed to focus if he ever hoped to make it out alive.

Clenching his jaw against the chattering of his teeth, Magnum willed himself to stay awake. Darkness was playing at the edges of his vision, threatening to take him under with it, but he knew he couldn't let that happen. He needed to stay awake, stay alert, and be ready the minute an opportunity presented itself. With the stakes as high as they were, there was no other option.

His friends would be looking for him, Magnum knew; he was supposed to have checked in with Higgins after his meeting that morning — the meeting that had never happened. She wasn't the type to just let that slide either, which meant she had started trying to track him down when he hadn't at least called. And if she had started looking into it, there was no doubt she would've realized there was something very wrong. If Magnum could just hold on long enough, his friends would find him. And then they could take Ivan down once and for all.

The sound of the door opening pulled Magnum's focus back to the present, and he blinked to clear his foggy vision. If his captors were back, he needed to be ready for anything.

"I trust you've had time to consider my offer," Ivan's voice preceded the man as he came around the chair into Magnum's line of sight.

"What offer?" Magnum asked, wincing as he heard how rough his voice sounded. "I don't seem to recall you making any offers."

Ivan tsked and shook his head. "You know, I did expect you not to care about your own safety. But I really thought you cared more about your friends." He chuckled when Magnum glared at him. "You have no one to blame but yourself, you know. You could've just told me what I want to know. Instead, now we have to go this route, and it's really so much more trouble for me, having to go out of my way to track down your friends."

Stomach sinking, Magnum tried to come up with a satisfactorily scathing retort. He needed to keep this guy on his toes, keep Ivan on the defensive rather than letting the other man feel like he had the upper hand. The problem was Ivan did have the upper hand at the moment, and snarky replies could only go so far.

Ivan shrugged a shoulder. "You know, after all the trouble they caused, I thought they would be harder to get to." He made a face.

There was an edge to Ivan's tone that made Magnum pause. Had the others managed to pull something over on the criminals? He wouldn't put it past his friends to have figured out what was going on and intentionally put themselves in harm's way just to figure out where he was being held. And if that was the case, Magnum wouldn't have to outlast Ivan for much longer. He didn't want to get his hopes up without any proof besides what he could detect in the other man's expression, but there was a part of him that relaxed at the possibility. Any little bit of hope that the tortuous situation was about to end was a welcome relief.

Ivan watched his prisoner carefully for a long moment, then grinned. The cold smile sent a shiver down Magnum's spine that had nothing to do with the temperature of the room. "Okay, Magnum. Let's see how long you refuse to answer me when it's your friend's life on the line." And then he gestured to someone out of Magnum's view.

Heavy footfalls echoed through the room, and Magnum resisted the urge to shift uneasily in the chair. He refused to give Ivan the benefit of seeing him look any more unsettled than he could help. His mind was spinning, trying to figure out who Ivan might have gotten to and hoping whoever it was had some clever plan to escape, but he wasn't sure who he hoped it would be. Honestly, he didn't want any of his friends to be dragged into this place, but it seemed like that was not an option.

It didn't take long for the two goons from before to come into view, a limp form suspended between them.

As much as he didn't want it to be any of them, Magnum had expected to see Rick, T.C., or possibly Higgins, but the sight of an unconscious Katsumoto came as a surprise that sent his heart plummeting into his stomach. A voice in the back of his mind told him Katsumoto would have objected to any plan from the others that would have involved putting a civilian in danger, but there was another little voice that was convinced there was no way the detective would have even agreed to such a plan regardless of who was the bait.

And when he took into account Katsumoto's condition — bruised, bloodied, and unconscious — something told Magnum this wasn't a rescue.

That left only one alternative, and Magnum didn't like that scenario one bit.

"Ms. Higgins, hi, this is Detective Palima with the HPD. I work with Detective Katsumoto."

Higgins tilted her head at the introduction. "Hello, Detective. You're on speaker with Rick and T.C. as well. I assume you're calling about Magnum."

The detective sighed. "I wish I had something more than just that we're doing our best, but… well, I'm afraid I have some bad news."

At the tone of Palima's voice, Rick swallowed and exchanged a look with Higgins and T.C. That didn't sound good at all.

They were gathered around Higgins' phone next to the borrowed vehicle, having paused in the parking lot outside a warehouse where they had just talked to Rick's buddy about possible leads on Magnum's whereabouts. Marty hadn't had any solid information for them besides rumors of a crew being hired, specifically men with sailing experience, but he'd promised to ask around and call Rick as soon as he had more details. There was one contact who Marty seemed to think would have the information they wanted.

Each of the three friends was hoping for a clue that would make everything fall into place. It was closing in on ten hours since Magnum had disappeared, and no one was sure how much longer the investigation was going to take. By this point, they were all having a harder and harder time fighting feelings of hopelessness. As much as they were determined to find their friend, it was getting harder to fight feelings of doubt as the hours wore on.

And now, Palima's words made them all that much more uneasy. The first thing that sprang to mind at the words 'bad news' was the kind they didn't even want to entertain for a second.

Higgins frowned. "What is it?"

"It's your friend, Ms. Tuileta."

The looks on Higgins' and T.C.'s faces mirrored what Rick knew his own must look like, and he swallowed. "What?" he asked, not waiting for Higgins to reply instead.

"A volunteer at the center called 911 about an abduction in the parking lot this afternoon," Palima supplied. "It appears she was taken by someone in a white SUV."

The words made Rick's chest tighten even more. A white SUV. "Just like the one that's been stalking Magnum all this time," he said quietly.

"Are there any leads?" Higgins was asking, even as she met Rick's eye in acknowledgment of his words.

"Security footage from the cultural center confirms it was a white Chevy Tahoe," Palima replied. "The plates weren't visible, but it's probably a safe bet to think this is the same vehicle that's been following Magnum around the island. We've got a BOLO out and are working every angle we can, but whoever was driving knew where there were no traffic cameras, and we can't track it after a couple of blocks."

There was a moment of silence as the three friends processed the information, and then T.C. cleared his throat. "What can we do?"

"Right now, nothing," came the reply. "I just figured you should know. It may turn out to be an unrelated kidnapping for ransom since she works for the estate, but don't worry. We're working every other angle, including still trying to track down the guy who rented that SUV in the first place," he added. The others could tell from his tone the detective didn't think that was the case any more than they did.

Rick clenched his fists. He was most certainly not going to do nothing, not when his friends were in trouble. Whoever this guy in the white SUV was, Rick was even more determined to find him now. He just hoped they could do it soon; first, Thomas was taken, and now Kumu… and Rick didn't even want to think about the older woman being at the mercy of these kidnappers. His only hope was that Magnum and Kumu would be able to take care of each other wherever it was they were being held.

Something had been bugging Rick the whole time they had been on the call with Palima, and it seemed the same thing had occurred to the others because Higgins cleared her throat.

"Is Katsumoto working a lead on the case that you're the one giving us the update?" she asked. "If you'll send me his location, we'll go help."

They could hear Palima sigh before answering. "About that… that's actually the next piece of bad news, and it seems to be connected to the other kidnappings. Detective Katsumoto's gone missing." He hurriedly continued before the others could jump in with questions. "It appears he was ambushed while investigating a lead on Magnum's case."

Rick felt anger boiling inside his chest, anger at whoever was behind the ambushes and at himself for not being able to solve the mystery sooner. Now, three of his friends were missing and most likely in grave danger; there was no way someone stalked Magnum for weeks and then set up an ambush unless they wanted something. And Rick was not naive enough to think Kumu and Katsumoto going missing wasn't connected — and if it was, that meant the person behind it all wanted to motivate Magnum to give them what they wanted.

He didn't even have to look at Higgins or T.C. to know they were thinking the same thing.

"So whoever took Magnum now has Kumu and Katsumoto, too," T.C. growled.

"Look, I have to go," Palima told them, and they could hear the urgency in his voice. "But I promise to keep you guys in the loop as much as I can. Let me know if you happen to hear anything, okay?"

"Sure thing, Detective," Higgins replied.

"And watch your backs," he continued. "Seriously. If this guy, whoever he is, is targeting Magnum's friends, you three could be next on his list."

Higgins glanced over at the others. "Noted," she replied.

"We're not just going to wait around, right?" T.C. asked the others as the phone disconnected.

"Not on your life," Higgins responded firmly, jaw tight with determination.

Rick allowed himself a small, grim smile as his nod echoed Higgins'. There was no question about it. Their friends needed help, and there was absolutely no way any of them were going to just sit idly by and wait for Palima to call again.

Honestly, Rick was kind of hoping the guy in the SUV did try to come for one of them. They would be ready. And maybe they would finally be able to end this thing.

He jumped a little when his phone buzzed then, which he tried to cover up as he pulled it out. It kept vibrating, and he couldn't answer the call fast enough when he saw who was calling. "Marty, please tell me you have something."

"Hey, man, so that friend of yours you were just here asking about? Magnum?"

"Yeah," Rick said quickly. He looked up at where Higgins and T.C. were watching him expectantly and gave them a small shrug of his shoulders in response.

T.C. glanced back at the road, needing to keep his attention on his driving, but Higgins kept her gaze fixed on Rick. He could tell she was trying to discern what was happening in the conversation, but Rick knew Marty and knew better than to put the call on speaker — especially not when the guy might have important information about Magnum. The last thing he wanted to do was spook the already nervous informant and lose whatever lead he had a feeling Marty was about to communicate.

"Uh, yeah," Marty continued. "Look, you didn't hear it from me, but there's a guy I know who might be able to help you out. He has eyes all over the islands and says he knows a little something about your missing friend."

Despite his best efforts not to get his hopes up, Rick was starting to feel hopeful about where the conversation was going. "Great!" he exclaimed, and he saw T.C. glance over at him again. "Send me his number. I'll call him right now."

But Marty sounded uncertain. "That's just it, man," he said. "This dude's more paranoid than even I am. He won't talk on the phone. Like, at all. You gotta go see him in person if you want to talk to him."

Well, that wasn't the greatest news, but Rick was more than willing to do just about anything at the moment. "Okay. Send me his details. We'll go see him right now."

"Will do."

"Hey, and Marty?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks," Rick told him gratefully.

"You got it, Rick. Talk to you later."

"He got something?" T.C. asked the moment he heard Rick end the call.

Rick nodded even as he quickly pulled up his messages to check for a new one from Marty. "Yeah, someone he knows might be able to tell us something about where Thomas is. But the catch is we have to talk to this guy face-to-face; he's not going to take a phone call."

The others sighed and then nodded. Rick could see the same determined look on Higgins' and T.C.'s faces when he looked at them as what he felt himself.

"Just tell me where to go." T.C. didn't waste a moment. "Let's go talk to this guy."

"Hang on. Marty's texting me now," Rick replied distractedly, tapping at his screen. After a quick moment, he glanced back up. "Man, this guy's not close either; it looks like it's a solid drive. He's almost halfway across the island." Rick looked out the window and sighed as he took in the traffic passing them.

T.C. grinned. "Well, good thing we know a pilot."

Magnum clenched his jaw and watched as the two goons hauled Katsumoto's limp form across the room. Although he couldn't be sure of the reason, Magnum was fairly certain the blood covering the left side of the detective's face explained things. He just hoped it was a case of head wounds bleeding a lot and not a sign of major damage. They both needed to make it out of this place alive, and a severe head injury fell squarely in the realm of things needing immediate attention before they got seriously worse.

Zip ties bound Katsumoto's wrists behind his back, leaving his arms to be pulled at odd angles as his captors supported his weight between them. Magnum could just imagine just how painful that was going to be when the other man finally woke up. The grease smudged on his face and shirt told Magnum his captors had stuffed him in the trunk of a car — or perhaps the back of a cargo van — to transport him to… well, wherever they were. Magnum hadn't exactly been able to see out of the hood over his head when he'd been hauled inside.

He briefly wondered if they'd used the white SUV. Just because he hadn't seen it when he'd been ambushed didn't mean it wasn't at play. In fact, he was almost certain Ivan was the one behind that particular threat. It just made sense. Who else would've had reason to stalk him around Oahu for weeks if not Ivan?

What he couldn't figure out was how Katsumoto had gotten mixed up in the whole situation rather than Rick, T.C., or Higgins. Not that he wanted any of them to be there, definitely not, but it just made more sense for Ivan to have gone after one of the others. Had the detective gotten too close while investigating the case? Or had Ivan watched them long enough to know Katsumoto was someone with whom Magnum worked so closely so often that there was no way they weren't good friends?

Ivan watched in satisfaction as his men dumped Katsumoto on the floor across from Magnum before turning to the prisoner in the chair. "I told you I'd be forced to invite a friend to the party if you didn't answer my questions. And now here we are."

Clenching his teeth, Magnum forced his gaze away from Katsumoto's limp form to glare at Ivan. "He's not a part of this."

"Hm," Ivan hummed, shrugging his shoulders. "Well, you see, he did come after you in the Triple Frontier," he remarked. "He must be a very good friend if he was willing to do that. Oh," he added as he saw the look on Magnum's face, "you really didn't think I wouldn't do my homework, did you? After you managed to get away from me, I knew you'd had help to get back to civilization; you simply didn't have the resources on your own."

Magnum glanced away from Ivan to where Katsumoto was now lying on the hard ground. The detective's eyes were closed, and he was lying in an awkward heap, his arms pulled behind his back. His chest was moving steadily up and down, so Magnum knew Katsumoto was at least still alive, but that didn't do much to assure Magnum about the other man's condition.

"Hey, hey, look at me," Ivan barked, snapping his fingers.

The sudden noise drew Magnum's attention back to his captor, and he narrowed his eyes as he looked back at Ivan. "Do whatever you want to me, but leave him out of this," he said again.

"Hmm, no, I think we'll keep Detective Katsumoto around for a while. I need to give you a fair shake after all, right?" Ivan spread his hands. "After all, I did promise you I'd bring one of your friends in here for some motivation. It wouldn't be fair if I went back on my word now."

"Somehow, I don't think 'fair' is the word you're looking for," Magnum growled, yanking fruitlessly against the cuffs. He was trying to think of some way to make the other man focus solely on him, to keep Ivan's attention away from Katsumoto. It was Magnum's fault the detective was even involved in the situation at all. There was no way Ivan would've gone after Katsumoto before Magnum had met the detective, which meant this was a time Katsumoto could accurately blame Magnum for the trouble he was in.

Now Magnum just had to try to keep the detective from getting hurt even more because of him.

"I can see you don't want me to hurt him… any more than I already have," Ivan continued, taking a few steps toward where Katsumoto was lying on the ground before turning back to the man in the chair. "And I'm giving you the opportunity to help me not have to do that. Just tell me where the information is that I'm looking for, and I'll let Detective Katsumoto here go."

Magnum gritted his teeth. "Well, see, that's the thing. You're not giving me any reason to trust you, so why would I think you'd make good on that promise if I do tell you?" He tilted his head, sizing Ivan up even as he tried to ignore the pounding building in the back of his head. "You showed me you're serious by bringing him here, but now let him go. Let him go, and then we'll talk."

His captor seemed to be trying to figure out if Magnum was serious or not. "You do realize you're not holding any of the cards here, right?"

"Oh, are we playing poker?" Magnum asked. "Because I usually do pretty well, even when my friends think they've got me beat."

The fist that sunk into his gut left him coughing and gasping for air, almost feeling like he was choking past the pain that welled up in his chest.

Spots scattered across his line of sight, and the edges of his vision grew gray and fuzzy.

Magnum shook his head even as he continued to gasp for air, trying and failing to breathe. The lack of oxygen only made his surroundings fade out even more, and he hunched over as far as his bonds would let him as he heaved and gasped.

There was an acidic taste in the back of his throat, and he could feel the bile starting to rise. As much as he knew throwing up would be a terrible idea at the moment, he wasn't sure he'd be able to stop it. He swallowed hard and let himself close his eyes, willing his stomach to settle.

Somehow, he managed to swallow down on the nausea and cautiously sat back up to face his foe. He was panting, the shortness of breath still sticking with him even as fresh air ever so slowly made its way to his lungs.

He took a tentative breath, wincing at the way everything seemed to hurt with the inhale, and dragged himself upright again to face Ivan. Whatever was going to happen, Magnum knew he needed to last just long enough for his friends to find him. With Katsumoto having been taken as well, it was only a matter of time before the others, along with HPD, came kicking down the door to the old warehouse where they were being held. And Ivan wanted information, meaning there was a good chance Magnum could drag things out to buy time.

"So, tell me, Magnum. Are you going to answer my questions now?" Ivan asked. "Or do I have to start using your friend to convince you of the seriousness of this situation?" He raised his eyebrows.

Magnum gritted his teeth. "I told you already," he practically hissed, "I don't know what you're talking about. I'd never heard your name before your mercs showed up on the island, and I certainly didn't know anything about you back when I first went after Hayek."

"Wrong answer," Ivan said with a smirk. Then, before Magnum could blink, the man drove his right foot into Katsumoto's side.

The blow rocked the detective to the side, although his eyes barely fluttered at the impact. Magnum heard the low sound of air leaving the other man's lungs and clenched his fists behind his back.

"I have all night," Ivan threatened as he shifted his weight to again draw his foot back.

Magnum knew no answer got him out of his current predicament. "Whatever you think I know, I don't."

"Wrong answer."

Chapter Text

Ivan had finally left again, and none too soon for Magnum.

The questions had continued, but Magnum had refused to answer them. There was no chance Ivan would let them go even if he got the information he was after, so the only play was to stall. Of course, that was easier to do when he was the only one in danger. Now that Katsumoto had been brought in, the stakes were even higher. It still didn't change the fact that Magnum couldn't give Ivan what he wanted, but it certainly made it harder to commit to.

Of course, he hadn't only refused to answer the questions. He'd done his best to get his interrogator to focus on him and leave the detective alone, but that had only gone so far. Although Magnum had earned several more painful blows, Ivan had seemed to realize what Magnum was doing and had mostly ignored the goading.

Magnum swallowed. Of all the things he'd dragged Katsumoto into over the few years he'd known the detective, this had to be the worst. They had certainly been through their share of trouble together, but the circumstances had never been this dire. Even when Katsumoto had gone to the Triple Frontier to rescue Magnum the first time Ivan had shown up, it was with Rick and T.C. and the others. This was completely different and so much more dangerous.

Looking over at Katsumoto lying on the hard floor, Magnum tried to evaluate the other man's condition. It was hard to fully tell how Katsumoto was doing because of the distance, but Magnum could see the bruises already coming up and the blood drying on the other man's split lower lip. Any injuries hidden by his torn shirt were impossible to see, and Magnum just hoped none were too severe. They were going to need to work on a way out of their predicament, and that was going to be a lot harder if broken ribs or other internal injuries were going to keep Katsumoto from being able to move quickly.

Thankfully, the goons had left with their boss. Magnum wasn't sure why they hadn't stayed behind to guard the prisoners, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Something told him it was because the men were working on whatever the next phase of Ivan's plan was, but the only thing that mattered at the moment was no one else was in the room other than the two prisoners. That gave them a little time, although undoubtedly much less than would be ideal, to figure out a way to escape. Hopefully they could pull it off before their captors came back; Magnum had no doubt things would get even worse once they did.

But first, Magnum needed Katsumoto awake.

"Katsumoto?" he called tentatively, watching for movement. "Hey, Gordon, come on, man."

But there was no sign Katsumoto had heard Magnum at all. There was no noticeable change to his breathing, and he didn't so much as shift at the sound of his name.

Magnum gritted his teeth and yanked at his bonds again, but there was still no way out. He clenched his jaw as he watched the battered form across from him for signs of consciousness. "Come on, Gordy, you gotta wake up," he urged. He swallowed as he glanced around as if he somehow expected there to be a way out he'd missed before. "Open your eyes."

If they were lucky, there would be some way for Katsumoto to pick the lock or cut through the handcuffs holding Magnum to the chair. Of course, they'd need to address the zip ties first, but those were at least pliable to a degree. With the right angle of pressure or a sharp edge they could be rubbed on, they'd snap easily enough.

Magnum took a deep breath, slowly so as not to exacerbate the roughness in his chest, and then tried again. "Gordon!" he exclaimed, putting as much volume and determination behind the word as he could. They didn't have any time to waste on pleasantries. Katsumoto could yell at him later for… well, for everything, but they didn't have time to wait around just then.

He still winced at the pressure in his chest, but he didn't stop to worry about it. Experience had taught him to deal with the most serious problem first and only worry about himself if his injuries were hampering their actual escape.

Whether it was the timing or the change of tone, Magnum wasn't sure, but he was rewarded with the sight of his friend's eyes blinking open.

"Hey, there you are," Magnum remarked, giving the other man a lopsided grin. Relief spiked through him at the sight of the detective's dark eyes slowly focusing on him. "Welcome back."

"Magnum," Katsumoto groaned. His shoulder twitched as if he was trying to lift a hand to rub his head, which Magnum could imagine was pounding something fierce right about then. "What…?"

Shrugging a shoulder apologetically, Magnum glanced around the room. "I don't know where we are, but it seems like Ivan has finally poked his head above ground again." He made a face.

"Ivan? The guy who attacked Robin's Nest and then lured you out into the middle of nowhere?" Katsumoto sighed and dropped back to the floor. Then a thought seemed to occur to him, and he tilted his head to look back at Magnum. The private detective could see the way Katsumoto looked him up and down, assessing the visible damage. But, even though the evidence of Ivan's interrogation had to be obvious, Katsumoto just settled for asking, "You know what he wants yet?"

Magnum swallowed and gave a small nod, trying not to upset the truce he'd managed to achieve with the nausea that was still threatening to rise into his throat. "Yeah…" He gritted his teeth. "Seems like Hannah's still causing trouble."

"Hannah?" Katsumoto frowned. "I thought she was—"

"Yeah," Magnum interrupted quickly.

There was silence, then Katsumoto sighed and shifted his weight to sit up. It took him a moment, along with several pained groans, but he was finally up. He pushed back a little so he could lean against the leg of the closest work table, then closed his eyes and tried to calm his breathing.

Magnum could see the beads of sweat gathering on the other man's brow and the way Katsumoto winced with each inhale. "You okay?" he asked in concern.

In answer, Katsumoto just nodded, although his eyes remained closed. "I just need a minute," he said quietly.

Things fell quiet again, and Magnum felt the guilt starting to nag at him again. As much as he often dragged Katsumoto into things, this was entirely different than when a case he and Higgins took became bigger than they'd expected. This wasn't setting a trap for bank thieves or even chasing down a client who turned out to be a murderer. No, "taken prisoner by a ruthless international criminal" was a whole different type of situation and one Katsumoto shouldn't be facing. The only reason the detective had been taken prisoner was because Ivan thought he could be used as leverage to make Magnum talk; if not for Magnum, Katsumoto wouldn't be there at all.

"Don't do that."

The words had Magnum blinking his eyes open to look back at Katsumoto. "What?"

"Don't blame yourself," Katsumoto told him, clenching his jaw. "This isn't your fault. Besides, you're a civilian; it's my job to protect you." He moved his arms, trying to loosen his bonds as he spoke. "I'm sorry you had to be put in a position where you had to choose between protecting me and not negotiating with a terrorist."

Magnum chuckled; it wasn't the most logical reaction, but he couldn't help it. He coughed at the way it aggravated his chest and side and shook his head. "Let's just get out of here before they come back."

He could see Katsumoto shift again as the detective clenched his jaw and realized Katsumoto was rubbing the tie around his wrists along the edge of the furniture where he was leaning. The edge wasn't sharp, but it would still do the job with enough pressure.

"Right. I've almost… got it." Katsumoto's eyes narrowed in concentration, and then, a moment later, he grinned in triumph as a dull snap came from behind him. He immediately pulled his arms around in front of him and rubbed at his wrists.

Magnum could see the blood drying around the bruises on Katsumoto's wrists and winced in sympathy.

"Okay," Katsumoto said, taking a breath and glancing around quickly. "What do you say we figure out a way to get you out of those cuffs and both get out of here?"

The island was passing below them quickly but still much too slowly. Rick wanted to be at their destination already or, for that matter, to already have the information they needed to find Magnum. The chopper was faster than a car, but it still wasn't fast enough, he thought as he stared out the window. Any other time, he would have been enjoying watching the scenery as they flew along the coastline; today, however, his mind barely registered what he was seeing.

"Hey, earth to Rick," T.C.'s voice came through the headset.

Looking over at the pilot's seat, Rick met his buddy's gaze and flashed him a grim smile. He meant it to be reassuring, but he knew it came across almost as worried as he felt.

"You good, bro?"

Rick swallowed and tried to nod, but his only thought in response to the question was that he was doing a lot better than Thomas was probably doing at that moment.

"Don't do that to yourself," T.C. said quickly, and Rick knew his friend was thinking something similar to what he was. "We're going to find him."

"Guys!" Higgins' voice from the backseat drew both of their attention.

Even though he could hear her through his earpiece, Rick turned to look over his shoulder. There was something in her voice that made him hope they were now a step closer to finding Thomas.

"I found something," she continued, and Rick felt his eyes widen slightly.

"Really?" he asked in response, shouting a little to be heard over the noise of the rotors.

She nodded. "I was able to find a satellite that let me track the boat's course. It made a stop on the far side of the island before continuing toward where the Coast Guard eventually picked it up."

Rick turned to look back at T.C., knowing the flip-flopping of his stomach had nothing to do with the way the helicopter rolled slightly in the wind.

"So T.M. must still be on Oahu," T.C. said firmly. The tightness could be heard in the pilot's tone even if his friends couldn't clearly see the way his jaw was clenched. "Whoever took him must have wanted to make it look like he'd been taken off the island so we'd be distracted looking elsewhere."

Rick was nodding along. "Plus, a boat is an easier way to throw us off his trail than if they'd just driven him somewhere."

"But that still leaves us not knowing who these guys are or what they want," T.C. remarked, shaking his head. "And they have three of our friends at this point." The worry, tinged with fury, in his voice was impossible to miss.

Glancing back again, Rick exchanged a look with Higgins, but then he happened to glance out of the window and caught sight of where they were. "Hey, we're here!"

Minutes later, they were hurrying toward one of several structures standing in a clearing in the forest. A road led through the trees, snaking past the open space where T.C. had set down the brightly painted helicopter.

A large man with tattoos covering both arms and dark hair tied back was heading toward them, having exited the building when the noise of the chopper had cut through the still evening.

"Which one of you's Rick?"

"Right here," Rick volunteered, raising a hand before extending it in greeting. "You must be Marty's friend."

The guy nodded silently, appraising all three newcomers with a firm gaze before turning back to Rick. "I hear you're looking for a missing P.I."

It was hard to evaluate the man based on his flat tone. Rick just hoped they hadn't come all this way for nothing.

"That's right," he said, squaring his shoulders. He could hear T.C. and Higgins shift behind him, but they stayed quiet and let him do the talking. "Marty said you had some information for us?"

There was a brief pause, and then the guy across from Rick nodded. "Yeah, I might've heard something. But what I'm about to tell you didn't come from me, okay? You never met me."

Rick nodded slowly. "Fair enough. What do you know?"

"I heard there was a real big-shot criminal haole on the island. He got here a few days ago and started hiring a few guys for a crew from some people he could trust."

Something about the timeline struck a wrong chord in Rick's mind. "'A few days'?" he repeated.

In response, the other man tilted his head. "That's what I said. As far as I know, he's only been here about four days. Might've had someone setting something up for him before, I don't know. All I know is he's into some real dangerous stuff overseas, and most people in my circles want to keep our heads down and avoid him. I'm only telling you this because you're a friend of Marty's."

"Okay," Rick sighed and nodded. "Understood. You wouldn't happen to know where this guy might be, would you?" When his question was met by a dubious look, he swallowed and continued, "Look, it's important. Some friends of ours were taken, we think by this guy you're describing, and we just want to get them back. Nobody ever has to know you gave us the info."

"Please," Higgins spoke up from behind Rick, and Rick could see the other man's gaze flick back over his shoulder. "Our friends are in serious danger if this man has them."

Rick didn't even have to look back to know T.C. was nodding along with Higgins' plea. When the informant looked back to him, Rick held the man's gaze. The moment seemed to stretch on for an eternity as each side watched the other, and then Rick sighed in relief as the guy nodded.

"Okay, but you didn't—"

"Didn't hear it from you." Rick nodded. "Got it."

"All I have is a first name," the man said quickly. "Ivan."

Those two simple syllables made Rick's heart clench. He should've guessed, but he also had been hoping they'd never hear from the criminal again. Ivan had already nearly killed Thomas once, and it had taken a daring rescue mission into a no man's land to save him. Rick's stomach clenched to think what would've happed to Thomas then if they hadn't made it to him in time, and now it seemed like Ivan was back and had once again ambushed their friend.

They couldn't let Ivan succeed at killing Magnum this time.

"Word is he's got several locations leased around the island," the informant said, his words snapping Rick's attention back to the conversation happening in the present. "None of them in his name, of course, but the guys he hired rented them. I'll give Marty a list."

"You can always give it to me," Rick offered, putting as much confidence in his tone as he could muster. "You can trust us."

The man across from him tilted his head. "Sorry. I don't know you."

"But—" Rick began.

"Forget you ever met me," the man said quickly, interrupting Rick's attempt to sway him. Then he turned on his heel and stalked back inside.

Rick turned to face T.C. and Higgins. They both looked apprehensive, and Rick couldn't blame them. His stomach was knotted in dread as the enormity of what they'd just learned settled on him.

They all knew what Ivan was like; there was too much evidence pointing to just how ruthless the criminal was. And it wasn't just what Magnum had told them about the man's criminal history or the fact that Ivan was a shadowy figure known but not known in the intelligence community. They knew what Ivan had done to get Magnum to the Triple Frontier as well as what had happened once he was there — and what it had taken to get him out. Not only that, they knew what the mercenaries Ivan had hired had done when Robin's Nest had been attacked. None of them were comfortable with Ivan being on the island.

And that was before he'd kidnapped three of the people they cared most about.

They all stared at each other momentarily before T.C. looked back at the helicopter. "So, what's our next move?" he asked as he turned his attention back to the other two. "Higgy, can you get us information on where these guys took our boy after the boat docked?" He clenched his fists. "Or can you find a trail after they took Kumu?"

Higgins sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. "I can certainly try. It's apparent these guys Ivan hired know what they're doing, based on our success rate so far, but there's always a chance they slipped up somehow."

"So you think this guy's telling the truth?" T.C. asked.

Tilting his head in thought, Rick took a slow breath. "Yeah… yeah, I do. It makes a lot of sense if it's Ivan who's behind all of this."

T.C. looked at Higgins in concern. "You good?" he inquired. When she nodded quickly, he raised an eyebrow in a prompting manner. "After all, Ivan's mercs—"

"No, I'm good," Higgins quickly interrupted him. "Promise," she added. "I want this guy as much as you do."

Neither of the men pressed the issue.

Pulling his phone out as it vibrated with an incoming text, Rick immediately started tapping away at the screen. The others didn't have to ask what he was doing; they both could see the texts being exchanged. They just hoped the mysterious man they'd just talked to done as he'd promised and sent the info to Marty. It was their only real lead at the moment, as much as that frustrated them all.

The lack of clues after so long spent trying to locate their missing friend was frustrating and exhausting. They just hoped there would be a break in the case before long.

Just then, Rick glanced up from his phone. "Just sent you a list of four potential properties," he told Higgins, his expression grim even though he was still trying to stay hopeful.

"That's three addresses too many," T.C. muttered.

Higgins sighed but squared her shoulders as she responded, "Okay. I'll try to cross-reference potential sightings of the white SUV with those locations." She bit her lip. "Let's just hope these guys made a mistake somewhere along the way. They clearly know what they're doing."

"Hey," T.C. said gently. "You got this. Nobody's perfect; no matter how good these guys are, we're going to catch up to them eventually."

Rick clenched his jaw, biting down on the pessimistic comment that came to mind. He needed to stay positive; thinking that eventually might not be soon enough wasn't going to help anybody.

It wasn't long before they were in the helicopter again, heading back in the direction from which they had come. Higgins was in the back seat again, bent over the tablet as she worked on trying to track down the offending SUV they all hoped would mean they'd find their missing friends. The clock was ticking, and they all knew the situation only grew worse with every passing minute. Magnum had been gone for far too long, and now Kumu and Katsumoto were also missing.

After flying in silence for a few minutes, T.C. cast a quick glance backward. "Any luck, Higgy?" he called over the microphone.

The heavy sigh that came through their headphones was enough to tell Rick and T.C. the answer to the question. They exchanged looks as Higgins replied to the pilot.

"I wish I had better news, but whoever Ivan has driving that SUV seems to know where every traffic camera on the island is. And he either takes advantage of busy streets or places that have a lot of tree cover, meaning I can't get a consistent track on it with satellite coverage."

Rick shook his head and swallowed down on the worry trying to creep up on him. He knew they had to head back to Island Hoppers, based on what T.C. had mentioned about his fuel levels. They couldn't stay in the air indefinitely, just hoping for a break in the case, and there was no way they could check out all of the addresses Marty had sent without filling up first. It would save them time in the long run if they did it now rather than rolling the dice and hoping the location they picked was the right one. If they had to backtrack after it turned up empty, they'd lose time.

No, they needed to hit the ground, refuel, and then get out there — and cross their fingers that the first place they searched turned out to be where Ivan was holding the others.

By the time they touched down back at Island Hoppers, Higgins looked even more frustrated than before, and Rick sighed. He didn't even have to ask to know she hadn't been successful with the satellites.

"I'll text Palima," Rick offered. "Get him to have units check out the addresses."

"I—" Whatever T.C. was about to say was interrupted by the ringing of Higgins' phone.

She quickly pulled it from her back pocket, and both of the men watching her felt their stomachs clench at the way her face paled.

As the phone rang a third time, Higgins turned the device around so the other two could read the screen.

Rick's brow furrowed. It was the number for the estate's landline, which seemed odd. Not that it was necessarily odd because Higgins did have other employees who could be working, but something about the look on his friend's face made Rick pause. He immediately tugged his own phone from his pocket and opened the voice recorder. He had a feeling they were going to need the conversation on tape.

The call was ringing a fifth time when Higgins finally swiped on the screen to answer it. "Hello?"

"Juliet!"

All three listening to the call felt a ripple of shock and stunned disbelief at the sound of Kumu's voice.

"Wh— Kumu?" Higgins exclaimed, looking up at T.C. and Rick with wide eyes. "What happened? Are you okay? We've been looking all over the island for you!"

"I'm okay," the older woman was quick to reassure her.

"What happened?" T.C. jumped in. "We saw the security footage of you getting kidnapped! How'd you get away? Are Magnum and Katsumoto with you?"

"Wait, Gordon's missing?"

The conversation was confusing Rick more the longer it went on. "Kumu, you and Katsumoto both went missing around the same time, and we just assumed—"

"No, I'm fine," Kumu said quickly. "I have so much to tell you, but the important part is I have a lead on Thomas."

Chapter Text

The minute they'd heard Kumu was at the estate, they'd wasted no time in racing back. And it wasn't just because reception on the call wasn't very good.

Granted, that was true, and none of them wanted to deal with trying to decipher words through static, especially not with the situation as serious as it was. But besides that, even though Kumu insisted she was fine, Rick wasn't going to believe it until he actually saw her. For all they knew, their friend might be hiding the truth about how things had gone down in order not to worry them and might be worse off than she let on. Even if she wasn't injured, they did know she'd been kidnapped at gunpoint; no matter who had taken her, she almost certainly needed their support.

They also were all fully aware the call could be a trap, and going back to talk to her in person could be as dangerous as simply following whatever information she gave them on Magnum's location. Going back to the estate as a group was the best way to address all of their concerns.

The drive took a fraction of the time it ordinarily would have. No one spoke much on the way, each caught up in their own thoughts. By the time T.C. roared up to the gates of Robin's Nest, they were all even more on edge and anxious to see Kumu.

When they pulled up to the main house, T.C. didn't even have a chance to brake all the way before Higgins and Rick threw open the doors and leaped out. Kumu was coming out of the main house to meet them, and they weren't about to waste a second getting to her.

"Kumu!" Rick quickly looked her over, searching for any sign of injury, but he couldn't make out much. There was a slight bruise around her left wrist, but even that looked faint and far from serious. After the hours they had spent worried sick about what Ivan might have been doing to their missing friends, the fact that Kumu was home — completely safe and sound — was more than a little confusing. Not that Rick wasn't relieved to see his friend alive and unharmed, but he now had even more questions and no answers.

Higgins beat Rick to Kumu and immediately hugged the older woman. Then she stepped back and looked Kumu over intently. "Are you okay?" Higgins asked, concern evident in her voice.

"I'm fine," Kumu said firmly, turning to give the same reassuring smile to Rick and T.C. as the pilot came up behind the others. "I promise!" she added, unable to hold back a small chuckle as T.C. wrapped her in a bear hug. "Really."

Rick followed up T.C.'s embrace with one of his own as soon as the other man stepped back. "We're just glad to see you again," he told her warmly, giving her a tight squeeze before releasing her. His hand lingered on her shoulder as he gave her one more once-over just to make sure he hadn't missed any sign she wasn't actually okay.

Putting a hand on Rick's arm, Kumu returned the gesture with a grateful smile. "He didn't hurt me; just drove me around for a while to talk and then dropped me off here."

"'He'?" Higgins asked. "Did you get a good look at him?"

Kumu shook her head in answer to the question. "No, unfortunately not."

"And Magnum?"

Rick held his breath at Higgins' question as he watched Kumu's face. He noticed the shift in her expression as her smile fell, and he swallowed. Even though she'd told them on the phone she knew where Thomas might be, there was a part of Rick that almost expected his buddy to be at the estate with Kumu.

"The man who grabbed me had nothing to do with Thomas's disappearance," Kumu said, continuing quickly before the others could ask more, "but he gave me something that could lead us to where Ivan's holding him."

"Wait, you know about Ivan?" T.C. asked.

Kumu nodded. "Courtesy of our friend in the SUV." She tilted her head toward the house. "He also gave me several addresses, along with surveillance photos and other papers with information on Ivan's operation."

"Smart," Higgins commented, shooting a look at the two guys.

Rick knew what she meant. Printed papers were harder for anyone to trace back to a source; electronic information always held some sort of identifying aspect that could reveal too much to someone who knew how to look for it.

"Come on," Kumu said then, interrupting the unspoken conversation. "We need to get working on these. Rick, I'm sure you can call around and dig up something on these addresses."

"Yeah, Kumu," Rick replied, giving T.C. another look in answer to his friend's raised eyebrows. "Just point me in the right direction."

Kumu nodded but didn't make a move to go inside. She cleared her throat. "I know you all, and I'm sure you've been hard at work trying to find out what happened while I was gone. Do you have any leads on the people who took Thomas yet?"

Higgins spoke first. "All we know is the white SUV was responsible for taking you. We've been trying to track it down but haven't had any luck. So far, we've been operating under the assumption that the same people who took you are the ones who took Magnum." She sighed. "We found out Ivan's name just before you called, and we had thought he was the one who'd rented the SUV."

"We thought Ivan had gotten to you to leverage Thomas," Rick added. He shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck. "And now that Katsumoto is missing…"

Kumu nodded, her expression serious. "Okay," she said slowly. "I know you're all convinced the guy in the SUV is a bad guy… with the way he's been following Thomas around the island, I thought so, too. But we were wrong."

Magnum squinted against the pressure behind his eyes that had built to an almost unbearable level. He was trying to focus on the workbench just a few yards away, where Katsumoto was currently hunting for something he could use to get rid of the cuffs holding Magnum to the chair. The problem was, no matter how hard he tried to ignore his injuries, they seemed to assert themselves even more.

He could hear rustling and muffled metallic noises as Katsumoto sifted through the tools at their disposal, but everything past a couple of feet was a bit of a blur. Magnum gritted his teeth and took a deep breath. This was not the time to be losing focus; he needed to be at his best — at least, as much as he could given the situation — if they were going to break out of… wherever they were being held. Ivan's goons couldn't be far away, and Magnum was willing to bet they were right outside. That meant he and Katsumoto would have to be on high alert if they hoped to sneak away unnoticed. And that meant Magnum couldn't afford to be off his game.

"I think this'll do the trick," Katsumoto's voice came then, breaking Magnum out of his thoughts.

With a slight shake of his head, Magnum blinked and looked up at the detective. Katsumoto had turned back toward the chair, a pair of rusty bolt cutters in his hands.

"These have definitely seen better days, but they should still work," the detective was saying. He gave Magnum a wry smile. "They might be a little dull, but I think they'll do the trick."

Magnum nodded, smothering a cough. He shifted slightly to keep his eyes on Katsumoto as the other man crossed in front of him and moved behind the chair. There was a tug on his arms as Katsumoto fiddled with the handcuffs, and the metallic sound of the chain rattling reached Magnum's ears. He couldn't see what Katsumoto was doing, but he didn't need to. Coupled with the movements he could feel, Magnum could visualize the detective's every move as the other man positioned the bolt cutters around the links in the chain and applied pressure to the tool.

When Magnum felt the tension of the bolt cutters fall away, he moved to pull his arms in front of him, but he was met with resistance as the chain between the manacles caught on the chair.

"Sorry, Magnum," Katsumoto said quickly. "These are even duller than I was expecting. Let me try again." The detective sounded winded, and Magnum tilted his head in concern but didn't say anything. Neither of them was in very good shape at the moment; they were just going to have to trust the other was okay… at least, okay enough for the time being.

Magnum felt a tug on the cuffs again and waited for the sound of Katsumoto successfully cutting through his bonds. He didn't realize he was holding his breath in anticipation until the cough building made him aware of the burning sensation that was spreading across his chest. There was no holding this one back, and it felt like sandpaper grating across his throat as the cough came up from deep in his chest.

He knew he was pulling against the handcuffs and that it was probably making Katsumoto's job impossible at the moment, but he couldn't do anything about it. The deep, rumbling cough just kept coming, and Magnum winced in pain as he hunched over. When they finally subsided, he found himself leaning forward, hunched against his bonds, trying desperately to regain his breath.

His headache had been exacerbated by the violence of his coughing fit, and it was now pounding even more than before. As the gray haze that had crept across his vision started to subside, Magnum took a tentative breath and tried to quiet his thoughts. His head was throbbing, and he wasn't sure if the room was just silent or if the pressure in his head was just drowning everything else out.

The weight of a hand on his shoulder drew Magnum's attention to the man behind him, and then Katsumoto's low voice broke into the roaring in his head.

"Hey, you good?"

Magnum didn't answer right away. He swallowed and slowly licked his lips, wincing again at the pain even that small movement elicited. "Yeah…" he replied slowly, not daring to even nod his head just yet. "Just, uh, let's just get out of here."

"You got it," came the response. Katsumoto patted his shoulder once before his hand moved from Magnum's shoulder.

Magnum felt a tug on his wrists again as Katsumoto repositioned the bolt cutters. There was a brief pause, and then he heard a deep grunt of effort at the same time as a jolt of pressure traveled along the chains and into the cuffs themselves. A moment later, though, Magnum felt a surge of relief as he heard the clanking of chains falling and his wrists fell to the sides.

"Hang on," Katsumoto said as Magnum started to bring his arms forward.

Noticing his right arm felt heavier than his left, Magnum glanced down and saw the length of chain still attached to the cuff around his wrist.

"Sorry," Katsumoto continued apologetically. "There's no way this is going to cut through the cuffs themselves, but let me at least get the rest of the chains off."

Wincing at the stiffness in his shoulders as he moved his arms more than he had in hours, Magnum nodded in response. He held still as the other man applied pressure to the bolt cutters again. A moment later, the rest of the chain fell to the ground with a clanking noise that sounded much too loud as it echoed through the room. The two men exchanged glances.

"We need to get out of here," Magnum said, frowning at the way he could hear his voice grating. There was no way Katsumoto could miss how bad he sounded. Trying his best to smother the pain, he pushed to his feet. It wasn't as smooth of a motion as he had intended it to be, and he knew that wasn't lost on Katsumoto.

And, sure enough, the detective raised his eyebrows as he looked Magnum up and down. "You sure you're all right to walk?"

Magnum clenched his jaw. "I'll be fine," he said as firmly as he could manage. "Let's go."

Katsumoto gave him one more uncertain look, and Magnum could tell the detective was trying to decide how much truth there was to the statement. However, rather than repeating the question or voicing any objections, Katsumoto just nodded and let out a shallow sigh.

Now it was Magnum's turn to raise an eyebrow in concern as he saw Katsumoto put a hand to his side and wince.

"Don't start," Katsumoto warned. "Let's just get out of here."

Magnum didn't let on how concerned he was if he'd even be able to make it to the door, let alone far enough to safely escape. He was going to have to rely on adrenaline and sheer stubbornness if he hoped to succeed. But he knew they didn't have any other options just then. There was no telling when rescue would come, and they had no way of knowing how close their friends were to finding them. That meant they might very well be on their own for the moment, and they couldn't afford to wait around.

There was no doubt that Ivan coming back would mean a lot more pain and possibly even worse, and they weren't about to wait around for that.

Unfortunately, his legs betrayed him when he took his first step, and he had to put out a hand to grab the back of the chair when everything tilted around him.

"Magnum!" Katsumoto hissed, coming up next to him.

Magnum felt the other man's hand on his shoulder but didn't turn. He was too focused on trying to breathe through the rush of pain that was threatening the edges of his vision. It wouldn't take much to tip him over into unconsciousness, not with the way his sides were aching and his lungs felt like they were on fire. And that wasn't even considering the way his head was pounding.

"Are you sure you can walk?" Katsumoto asked, his voice low and concerned. He might not know the specifics of what had happened, but Magnum knew Katsumoto could guess at least some of it. "And don't try to play the hero. If you can't, I need to know so I can make a different plan."

Gritting his teeth, Magnum forced his eyes open again and looked over at Katsumoto. "I can make it," he said firmly. "I have to."

Katsumoto raised his eyebrows, but Magnum just returned the dubious look. He'd seen the way the detective had been limping around the room, and he could hear the slight hitch in the man's breath.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Magnum replied.

"Don't think I didn't notice what you just did," Katsumoto remarked. "I'm not the one who's been tortured for information for the better part of a day."

"And you can take my statement when we both get out of here." Magnum started to shake his head, then aborted the movement when it caused the pain in his temples to spike. He took a shallow breath, trying to steel himself for the next few minutes.

There was no question in his mind that he needed to make himself move. If he admitted he wasn't sure he could make it very far, Katsumoto would end up trying to defend them both when Ivan and the goons came back, and there was only one way that was going to end. For that reason alone, Magnum needed to keep going. He could worry about whatever was wrong with him later, once they reached safety.

Swallowing, Magnum let go of the chair and tried to push the pain to the back of his mind. Focus, escape, worry about the rest later.

At least, that was his plan. And then the metallic sound of clanking from the direction of the door echoed through the room.

Kumu's statement was met with a moment of silence.

"What?" Higgins was the one who finally asked the question they were all thinking.

"You are talking about the guy who kidnapped you?" T.C. added.

In response, Kumu gave them a firm look. "All he did was drive me around for a while," she explained after a moment. "I suspect we took a roundabout route to the estate. He just said he wanted to talk, that he had important information for us, and gave me details about Magnum's disappearance."

"But why did he go to such extreme lengths?" Higgins asked. "Why not just come to us?"

Kumu shook her head. "He didn't want to take a chance you'd figure out his identity or that one of you would fight back. He said he needed to just talk and that he wants to help rescue Magnum from Ivan."

"Do you believe him?" T.C. wanted to know. "After all…" he trailed off meaningfully.

"I do," Kumu said with a firm nod. "It sounds crazy, but I just have a feeling about this." She paused, then continued. "He said he knew Thomas's father."

There was another moment of stunned silence as the others exchanged looks.

"And I'm inclined to believe him," Kumu continued before anyone else could say anything. "He knew Ivan took Magnum. He told me that Ivan had regrouped to come after Magnum after everything that happened in the Triple Frontier, and rumors of Ivan's move started making their way through the intelligence community. Apparently, it was all credible enough that our friend came out here himself to start protective surveillance."

"Did he say why he had such an interest in Thomas?" T.C. wanted to know.

Kumu nodded. "He served with Magnum's father and had promised to look after his son if anything happened to him." Her face softened as she looked between Rick and T.C. "He feels guilty and like he owes Thomas even more because he wasn't able to keep him out of the camp. By the time he found out about it… you guys had already been taken. He said he tried to find you when news of the capture got out but couldn't."

T.C. blew out a breath and ran a hand over his head while Rick swallowed.

"And then you rescued yourselves," Kumu added, the pride evident in her voice.

"So," Rick said, clearing his throat and dismissing the memories the conversation had brought up, "when the news of Ivan heading to Hawaii got through the channels, this friend headed straight here to do what he could to protect Magnum. Only… he couldn't just show up because that would tip off Ivan if he was watching, which he most likely was at that point." He was tracing the logical progression of events if what Kumu was telling them was the truth.

"Which is when he rented an SUV and started following Magnum around the island," T.C. picked up the train of thought. "And let himself be seen a few times so Thomas would start looking into things."

"And, knowing Magnum would trace it back to the rental company, he gave the name 'Thomas Magnum' as a local contact," Higgins continued. "Finding that out would keep Magnum on his toes that someone was following him." She shook her head. "Not so Magnum could track this… guy, whoever he is, down but so he can be aware someone is after him, even if he doesn't know who it is."

Kumu nodded along. "That's essentially it."

Rick could tell T.C. and Higgins were trying to process the unexpected new information just as he was. It was so far from anything they had been expecting, and yet, somehow… somehow, it all still made sense.

Honestly, it even made more sense than thinking Ivan had been the one following Magnum and Higgins around for weeks. Rick knew there would have been more than enough opportunities for the occupants of the SUV to have caused an accident or ambushed his friends if it had been Ivan trying to get to Thomas. The fact that nothing bad had happened yet seemed to point to whoever had taken Kumu telling the truth.

Sure, they had thought Miles Hamler had been the one driving the white SUV when the guy had ambushed Higgins to get to Thomas. Rick had hoped the trouble with the Tahoe was in the past once they'd rescued Higgins — and then Thomas — from the Hamlers, but then the vehicle had resurfaced again and proved that wrong. Rick sighed and ran a hand through his hair; the fact that his friend was once again missing wasn't lost on him, although the guy at fault this time made the Hamlers look like a pair of angels.

Rick glanced over at T.C., who shook his head sympathetically as their gazes met.

"Well, are we going to stand around talking all day, or are we going to rescue Thomas?" Kumu asked when no one else spoke up. "I know none of you talked to this man in the SUV, but I believe him. And our friends are running out of time the longer Ivan has them."

"Okay," Higgins spoke up then, glancing at the door to the house. "Let's get to work; I want to do our due diligence on this intel before we go rushing into anything. Rick—"

"I got you," he replied, pulling out his phone. "Get me the address, and I'll make some calls."

The door swung open, and Ivan's henchman stepped inside, observing the scene with satisfaction. Neither prisoner had moved — the one in the chair looked like he wouldn't last long on his feet even if he did manage to get free, and the cop was still passed out on the floor — which was just fine with Jimmy. The less trouble he had to put up with dealing with these guys, the better. There was plenty to do, and he didn't exactly feel like dealing with mouthy prisoners at the same time.

He crossed over to the workbench where he'd left the car battery, running through a list in his head, paying little attention to the two men slumped unconscious nearby. So little attention, in fact, that quick movement by his feet caught him by surprise.

In a flash, the cop had swung a leg around and knocked Jimmy's feet out from under him. There was no time to wonder how the guy had managed to get free before Jimmy hit the hard ground and the air was knocked out of his lungs.

Katsumoto was on top of him in an instant as they struggled for the upper hand. Blows were exchanged with fists and elbows and knees, the two men rolling around on the ground, locked in a fight for survival. There was no doubt in either's mind that losing the fight would mean serious danger.

Jimmy managed to connect a fist with the bigger man's temple, then started to scramble to his feet as his opponent fell away. He reached into his waistband and pulled out his pistol, but he didn't have time to even bring it to bear on a target before the other man tackled him from the left and sent him sprawling again.

Having kept a hold on his weapon when he hit the ground, Jimmy swung it up to point at the cop, only to find himself suddenly struggling for control as the other man grabbed his gun.

They fought against each other, muscles straining, and Jimmy's finger twitched on the trigger as he tried to aim at his opponent. If he could just get off a shot…

And then Katsumoto slammed Jimmy's hand back into the hard floor. The gun went off, and the sound of the shot was deafening as it echoed around them, and Jimmy couldn't hear a thing past the roaring in his ears. But he gritted his teeth and focused on trying to aim again, only for another shot to go wild at the same time as a second strike successfully dislodged the weapon. Jimmy barely heard it go skittering along the floor as a hard punch landed on his jaw; then the next punch slammed into the side of his head, and everything went dark.

Katsumoto wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, keeping a wary eye on the criminal lying on the concrete floor. The detective was panting heavily, and he winced as he put a hand to his side.

Short-lived though it was, it hadn't been an easy fight, and everything hurt even more than it had before. Except now, there was the added bonus of the few things that hadn't hurt before now added to the list of things that ached or stung.

Katsumoto groaned and shook his head to clear it. "Right, Magnum, what do you say we—" He broke off as he looked up at the chair where the P.I. had been sitting.

Somewhere in the roar of the gunshot going off right by his ear, he must've missed whatever sound Magnum had made when one of the stray bullets had found its mark.

The private detective was slumped on the floor next to the overturned chair. Even from where Katsumoto was sitting, he could see the way blood was starting to leak through the fingers of Magnum's left hand. He was even paler than it had been moments before, and sweat was visibly beading on his face.

"Magnum!"

"I would be more concerned about yourself right now, Detective."

The familiar voice pulled Katsumoto's attention from his injured friend and over to the large, commanding figure standing a few yards away — and pointing a gun directly at Katsumoto.

Ivan.

Chapter Text

Katsumoto wasn't sure when Ivan had arrived; the sound of the door must have been lost in the more immediate sounds of the scuffle that had just ended. He couldn't formulate a response just yet, his breath still coming in painful gasps as he struggled to get it back under control.

His eyes darted back and forth, searching for some way to get control of the situation, but there was no obvious way out. The gun the henchman had been holding was somewhere he couldn't see, probably under the workbench or scooped up by Ivan when he'd walked in. If Magnum was in even a little better shape, Katsumoto had no doubt the P.I. would take the first opportunity to rush Ivan. However, Katsumoto thought as he glanced past their captor to where Magnum was half-leaning against the chair, there was no way that was going to happen.

At least Magnum was still conscious, which could theoretically help if they had an opening, but there was one very big problem with that. Katsumoto's quick glance in the other man's direction told him Magnum was not doing well. On top of everything else that had happened since he'd been taken prisoner, he'd now been shot, and there was no way for Katsumoto to tell how bad the wound was from the current distance.

A wave of guilt crashed over him; he'd done his best to keep the gun pointed away from his friend, but it appeared he'd failed. All it took was one mistake for things to end badly, and that put them in a less than ideal position. Magnum might survive the gunshot if he got help in time, but there was no doubt Ivan would exploit the situation and make things worse.

Magnum looked up just then and met Katsumoto's gaze. Their eyes locked, and Magnum's pained expression seemed to soften just a little, just before a flash of something else crossed his face.

Katsumoto tilted his head. He'd known Thomas Magnum for too long not to recognize that look. Magnum had a plan… Now, just what that plan was and if it would actually work were two other questions entirely. But, for as many problems as Katsumoto might have with Magnum's methods, there was no denying the other man's harebrained schemes worked more times than they didn't.

The only problem was they usually involved Magnum doing something extremely stupid. And, while that was problematic enough under normal circumstances, the current situation was far from normal. Even when Magnum had landed himself in the hospital going after his ex on that stolen truck, he'd been in one piece before he'd literally leaped into harm's way. This time, he'd already be starting from "should have been in the hospital hours ago," and that made things exponentially more dangerous.

Katsumoto gave a slight shake of his head, trying to veto whatever idea Magnum had. He didn't know what it was, but he didn't need to. Meanwhile, he could tell Magnum was trying to silently communicate something, but then Ivan spoke up and pulled Katsumoto's attention back to the criminal standing over them.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting. I see you didn't get too bored without me." Ivan kept his gun pointed at Katsumoto but glanced back toward Magnum.

The moment Ivan's attention was off him, Katsumoto made his move. He'd already sized up the distance and calculated what it would take to tackle the other man. If he moved fast enough, Katsumoto stood a chance of disarming the criminal and putting an end to the whole situation. And even if he didn't, he at least gave Magnum a fighting chance of escaping.

He gritted his teeth at the pain that surged through his side and into his head as he pushed off the ground. Although he knew he had at least one busted rib, whatever he was dealing with could wait until later. He had one concern at the moment, and that was taking Ivan down before the man could hurt anyone again.

Ivan had barely turned at the flash of movement before Katsumoto tackled him. The detective let his weight carry them forward and downward, and they hit the ground hard.

Even though he landed on top of the other man, Katsumoto still felt the shock of all of his weight coming down against an unforgiving surface. The pain in his side, already throbbing at the quick movement of him jumping up, seemed to explode, and Katsumoto bit down on a groan of pain and forced himself to pay attention to the fight at hand. He couldn't afford to be distracted.

Ivan quickly recovered from the surprise attack. Uninjured, his response time was much quicker than Katsumoto's, and he simultaneously shifted his weight and brought a hand up to bury it in the detective's injured side.

The move worked, and Katsumoto's yell of pain was interrupted as he landed on his back and all the air left his lungs at once. Ivan had rolled and was now straddling Katsumoto as the detective choked on the sudden shortness of breath from the sharp hit to his side.

"Don't let him get that gun up!" The only thought Katsumoto seemed able to latch onto was screaming at him, instinct taking over and reminding him of how badly things could end if he didn't control the situation. He had to at least hold out long enough for Magnum to get out of their prison; whatever happened after that happened, but Katsumoto could at least distract Ivan for a little longer.

In his peripheral vision, Katsumoto could see Magnum drawing his legs up under him, but then his view was interrupted by a savage blow to his chin that sent him reeling. He would've been flat on the ground if he hadn't already been. As it was, his vision went gray and spotty from the punch he'd taken, and Katsumoto could feel the darkness starting to close in on him.

The thought of what might happen if he lost the fight flashed through his mind, and Katsumoto gritted his teeth and willed himself to stay awake. He couldn't give in, not yet. He knew Magnum was still just on the other side of the struggle happening on the floor; the other man was in pretty bad shape, and it would take time for him to make it to his feet and out the door.

Shaking his head to clear it, Katsumoto forced himself to focus on his opponent. Ivan still had complete control of the gun, and he was just pulling it up to aim it at Katsumoto's chest.

The detective threw his hands up and latched onto Ivan's right hand, scrambling for control of the weapon. He seemed to have caught Ivan by surprise and was successfully able to force the barrel away from himself. He was hyper-aware of where it was pointed this time, and he pushed it toward the ceiling, trying at the same time to wrench it from Ivan's grasp. If he could apply enough pressure to the other man's wrist, Ivan would have no choice but to release his grip — and then, with any luck, Katsumoto would be able to gain control of the gun and put an end to the criminal's plans.

There was more movement from Magnum's direction, but Katsumoto had no time to even glance that way. Ivan was slowly but surely winning the struggle. Katsumoto could feel his arms trembling and his muscles failing him, and he clenched his jaw and drew on everything he could to keep going. The pain in his side and head were now roaring in the background, making him feel nearly numb at the energy he was having to exert, and it still wasn't enough.

Katsumoto could feel his resistance starting to fail. He pushed everything else to the back of his mind and brought a leg up in an attempt to knock Ivan off-balance, but the other man didn't budge.

He was practically looking down the barrel of the gun now, and he tried to gather what strength he had left, but he just couldn't manage to fight it any longer…

A shot rang out, echoing off the concrete floor.

Katsumoto realized four things in quick succession: he was holding his breath, nothing hurt, the gun in his face wasn't smoking… and it hadn't actually gone off.

He met Ivan's gaze. The other man looked as shocked as Katsumoto felt.

And then, almost in slow motion, Ivan slumped backward.

Katsumoto caught sight of the red stain on the criminal's shirt and turned to look behind him, his shocked thoughts struggling to keep up with the sudden turn of events.

Magnum was still on the floor by the chair, but he'd pushed to his knees in a half-seated, half-slouched position. His right arm was outstretched, braced against the overturned piece of furniture, a gun clenched in his hand.

Their eyes met, and Magnum gave Katsumoto a small nod before collapsing.

As much as he wanted to rush over to Magnum, Katsumoto knew he needed to clear the potential threat Ivan posed before he did anything else. It took a few long, painful moments to extricate himself from the dead weight pinning his legs to the floor before he could move, then he clenched his jaw and forced himself to his feet. Everything hurt, but he couldn't stop to think about any of his injuries just yet.

He put his fingers to Ivan's neck, trying to find a pulse, but there was none — a fact Katsumoto couldn't say he was sorry about. He grabbed the other man's weapon and tucked it in the back of his waistband, eyes darting toward the door as he did so. At least one other criminal was still on the loose, and the last thing Katsumoto needed was to be caught unawares by Ivan's second hired gun.

With that done, he quickly checked Ivan for a phone. Any hopes he had of calling for help were dashed when there was no device to be found. With a small huff, Katsumoto glanced over at where the first criminal he'd fought was still lying, then he pushed to his feet with a groan and limped over to check the unconscious man's pockets.

Again, he came up empty, and Katsumoto frowned. Magnum needed an ambulance immediately, but it looked like Katsumoto would have to go in search of a phone to make that happen.

Katsumoto glanced around the room, then sighed again and squared his shoulders. The next order of business would be finding a way to call for help, but he needed to make sure Magnum wasn't about to die on him in the meantime. He could give a much more accurate description of their predicament when he called it in if he knew the other man's condition.

"Magnum? Hey, come on. Stay with me," he urged, wincing as his side and head protested as he kneeled down.

From where he was lying on the ground, hand pressed to his side, the injured man's eyes flicked up and met the detective's gaze. "Is he…?"

"Yeah," Katsumoto replied, nodding quickly as he looked the other man over. The most obvious injuries were visible, but Katsumoto knew there was a lot more to it. Magnum's breathing sounded rough and laborious, and the detective frowned. They needed to get to a hospital — and fast. "You got him. How are you feeling?" he asked as he unbuttoned his dress shirt. He winced at the movement but continued to quickly pull off the piece of clothing.

Magnum started to chuckle, but the laugh was cut off by a cough that seemed to echo through his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut as a wave of pain crossed his face, and he was clearly trying to fight against the coughing, but to no avail.

Quickly, Katsumoto reached over to press his wadded-up shirt against the still-bleeding wound in Magnum's side. The other man had released the pressure he had been holding on it when the coughs had started racking his body, and now his cough choked off in a hiss of protest at the increase in pain from the fresh pressure.

Katsumoto winced in sympathy but didn't let up. "Hey, I know, but I can't have you bleeding out on me."

Magnum made a face but didn't reply. The coughing fit had subsided, and he was now panting shallowly, his eyes still closed and his hands clenched in fists against the floor.

He was in no shape to move, Katsumoto knew, and the detective bit his lip in thought as he glanced around the room. They needed to get out of their prison; Magnum needed a doctor immediately. The problem was that Katsumoto either had to try to carry the man out or would have to leave him alone and go find a way to call for help — and he wasn't sure Magnum would be able to keep adequate pressure on his side if left alone.

The blood was already soaking through the shirt in Katsumoto's fist, and he frowned in frustration — frustration that he couldn't just solve the problem, that there was no easy way out, that Ivan's guys had gotten the jump on him in the first place. He took a breath, careful not to aggravate his own injuries by breathing too deeply, and glanced down to check on the now-ruined shirt he had pressed against the bullet wound.

"Go," Magnum said hoarsely, weakly lifting a hand to where Katsumoto was staunching the blood flow. "There's gotta be… a phone… nearby."

"I'm not leaving you," Katsumoto retorted, refusing to release the responsibility of keeping pressure on the injury. There was no way Magnum would be able to hold the shirt tightly enough in his current condition.

Magnum licked his lips, and it looked like he wanted to say more but just couldn't summon the strength to form the words. His face and shirt were soaked with sweat, and he looked even paler than he had a few moments before.

But then, just as he looked like he was about to say more, the door clanged as it started to open again.

Katsumoto immediately reached for the gun on the ground by Magnum's hand. With his left hand still firmly pressing down on the shirt, he gripped the pistol in his right and brought it up to bear on the door. He didn't know what the remaining criminal had heard from the ruckus that had gone on during the fight and subsequent shooting, but there was no way the other man was coming in unarmed. Katsumoto was going to have a very narrow window to take control of the situation when the man first walked in, or things were not going to end well — and he was not about to let that happen.

The figure who stepped through the door was partially obscured by the sunlight coming in around him, and Katsumoto squinted to make out the details of the man. He could see the gun held in the newcomer's hands, but that was about the only thing he could tell for sure. The headache pounding behind his temples certainly didn't help matters.

"Whoa, Gordon! Hey, don't shoot!"

Katsumoto frowned at the familiar voice, trying to place it.

"It's Rick!" came the voice again. "It's just me; everything's good."

Katsumoto felt his adrenaline-charged muscles relax ever so slightly. Disbelief coursed through him, followed by a rush of relief close on its heels. He could see Rick more clearly now as the other man moved in front of the light, and that was all the detective needed.

He quickly dropped the gun and turned back to put as much pressure as possible on Magnum's side. It felt like the bleeding hadn't stopped yet, and he was well beyond concerned.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Rick's questions were all tumbling together as the man rushed over and dropped down next to Katsumoto.

The detective shook his head and looked over at Rick. He could hear more footsteps and didn't even have to look to know T.C. and Higgins were there as well.

"Here, let me." Rick nudged Katsumoto out of the way and took over holding the pressure against Magnum's side. "Sit down, Gordon; you don't look so good yourself."

Katsumoto wanted to protest Rick's words, but he was suddenly hit with a wave of exhaustion and couldn't find the energy to argue.

There were hands on his shoulders then, and he looked over to see T.C. helping him sit back.

"Just take it easy," the bigger man urged. "You good? Anything we need to take care of right now?" His hands were on Katsumoto's side, eliciting a hiss of pain from the detective at the pressure on his busted ribs. "Are you hit?"

Katsumoto blinked and looked down, noticing for the first time the blood smeared on his white t-shirt and realizing what the other man was doing. "No, I'm fine," he said, batting away T.C.'s hand. "It's not mine."

"Ambulance is on its way." Higgins hurried over to join them, and Katsumoto could hear the worry in her voice that she was clearly trying to hide. "How are they?"

Rick glanced over at Katsumoto before looking up at Higgins. "They both need that ambulance," was all he said.

Katsumoto wanted to point out that Magnum needed it and that they didn't need to tie up resources for him, but he was suddenly finding it harder and harder to concentrate past the pounding in his head. The figures around him were fading in and out of focus. He blinked hard and shook his head, but the room continued to swim around him.

Hands he knew were T.C.'s gently pushed him back, helping him lie down, and he didn't fight them.

"Hey, we got it from here, man. You're okay," T.C. assured him.

As much as he still wanted to object to the attention being paid to him when there was someone who needed help more, Katsumoto just couldn't find the strength to argue. He shut his eyes and took a shallow breath as he let T.C. help him all the way back. Around him, he could hear the others talking worriedly and the distant sound of helicopter rotors, but he didn't open his eyes.

He could trust his friends to take care of things and finally let himself relax.

T.C. was pretty sure he had broken every traffic law in existence on the way to the address Kumu had been given, but he'd somehow managed to make it without getting pulled over. Whether that was because he'd gotten lucky or because Palima had called in a favor on their behalf, T.C. wasn't sure and didn't care. The only thing that mattered was that they made it in as little time as possible.

But as fast as they had gone then, time seemed to have slowed down to the barest of crawls ever since they'd found their friends in dire straits.

T.C. sighed and shifted in the uncomfortable plastic chair as he looked around the waiting room. Rick and Higgins were on his left, Kumu on his right, and a few other strangers waiting on news of their own on the other side of the room. He checked his watch and bit back a groan of frustration. They'd been waiting for far too long, and he needed to know how Thomas and Gordon were doing. The image of what they'd found when they'd stormed into that building was seared into his memory and only served to make him more anxious to know everything was going to be okay. After all of the time it had taken to finally find their friends, the last thing T.C. wanted was to wait even longer for news on how they were doing.

The others looked as worried as T.C. felt, although they were hiding that worry to varying degrees. But he knew his friends, and he knew they were all concerned about how things were going behind the doors where they'd been forbidden access.

Palima had stopped by the hospital shortly after they'd all arrived. The young detective had arrived at the scene just before the medevac chopper, and he'd just nodded to the three friends then and told them to go on ahead. He would catch up to them later, he'd said. And, true to his word, he had. He'd taken their statements in the hospital waiting area — and been especially interested in Kumu's tale of the mysterious stranger in the white SUV.

They hadn't been able to offer him much more information, though, and he'd headed out to question the kidnapper Katsumoto had bested in the fight. The man had come to just in time for HPD to slap cuffs on him at the scene, and Palima had assured the others he'd update them when he could.

So now, they waited, hoping they would see Ethan walk into the waiting room at any moment and hoping he'd only have good news for them.

"I'll take good care of him, I promise," the doctor's words rang in T.C.'s ears, and he clenched his jaw and forced himself to believe them.

Thomas had more lives than a cat, and this case would be no exception. He'd live to tell the tale of yet another scenario that should've taken him down but that he'd conquered instead. There was no other option.

The look Rick gave him when the other man looked over and caught T.C.'s gaze said he was thinking the same thing. They'd known Thomas Magnum for a long time, and they'd both been through some of the worst things imaginable with the man. Their friend was a fighter, and they both knew it.

Still, it felt like yet another eternity had passed before Ethan's tall, familiar form stepped into the room.

Kumu noticed him first and elbowed Rick in the seat beside her, who gently nudged Higgins where she'd fallen asleep on T.C.'s shoulder. The younger woman rubbed the sleep from her eyes and jumped up to meet Ethan with a hug as soon as he got closer to the small group.

"Hey," Ethan told her, shifting the clipboard in his hand to return the embrace. He looked up to see the others watching him anxiously and gave them a small, reassuring smile as his left hand patted his girlfriend's back comfortingly.

"How is he?" Higgins asked as she released him and stepped back slightly. She kept a hand on his arm as her eyes searched his face in concern. It was as if she was trying to tell from his expression what the news about Magnum was. "Is he…" she trailed off.

Ethan gave her a small smile. "He's in recovery right now," he told her, glancing from Higgins to the others. "The surgery was a success; we were able to remove the bullet without any complications, and I'm confident he'll make a full recovery. Of course, that's going to take some time, but Thomas is strong; I have no doubt he'll make it."

Clearing his throat, Rick spoke up then. "What about everything else?" He didn't have to specify; they'd all seen the numerous other injuries their friend carried, and the car battery sitting on one of the worktables in the room where they'd found Thomas and Gordon hadn't escaped anyone's notice.

Ethan sighed and gave a slight nod. "We've done what we can for now. Thomas did sustain a number of injuries during his ordeal, but we're treating what we can. The rest is just going to be a bit of a waiting game until he wakes up."

There was a moment of silence as everyone processed the doctor's words. T.C. exchanged a glance with Rick. Try as he might to put on a confident expression, T.C. knew he wasn't fooling Rick, just as the other man wasn't fooling him. They both knew how worried the other was, but they also knew how much of a fighter their injured friend was. T.C. just hated that they had to be reliving this experience yet again; the number of times Thomas had landed himself in the hospital was way too many. The guy might be the inspiration for a fictional action hero, but Thomas Magnum himself was only human.

"Can we see him?" Higgins' question pulled the two men's attention back to the conversation at hand, and T.C. looked over at Ethan in time to see him shake his head reluctantly.

"Not yet," Ethan replied gently. "We're going to give him a little more time where he is, and then we'll move him to ICU. If all continues to go well, you should be able to go back a little while after that. I'll keep you updated, okay?"

Higgins swallowed and nodded slowly, and Ethan gave her another reassuring half-hug.

"Hey, look, I told you I'd take good care of him, and I will," he told her.

T.C. reached over to put a hand on her shoulder. "Thanks, Doc," he told Ethan, extending a hand to the other man. "We appreciate it."

Ethan nodded and returned the handshake. "It's the least I can do,"  he replied. He glanced around the small circle and gave the others a nod. "I need to get back there, but I promise I'll keep in touch the minute anything changes."

With one more small smile to the four friends, he turned and hurried back through the doors on the far side of the room.

Chapter Text

"Hey, there he is!"

Magnum looked up at the sound of T.C.'s voice as his friends entered the room and returned their smiles with a tired one of his own. He looked exhausted and still too pale, Rick noted, but it was just good to see his friend awake and alert after everything Ivan had put him through.

They hadn't been able to really sit down and talk to their friend, not in full detail about the case anyway. Ethan had been very specific that they weren't allowed to get his patient excited, and so they'd just hedged around the questions Magnum had asked regarding what had happened. It hadn't mattered too much, though; Magnum had been sleeping the majority of the time since he'd gotten out of surgery, and he was just finally alert enough that they would be able to hold more of a conversation than a few words between him drifting off again.

"How ya feeling, buddy?" Rick asked, moving to stand near the bed. His eyes darted over the various machines hooked up to his friend before he turned his full attention on Magnum.

"Fine," Magnum replied quickly, although the lines that still creased his face amidst the various bruises and scabbed-over injuries told Rick that "fine" was a relative term.

Rick raised his eyebrows pointedly, leading to a small huff from his friend.

"Nothing a little time won't fix," Magnum added, lifting a hand as if to wave off any concern from Rick.

Shaking his head, Rick sighed. "We saw Ethan in the hall just now," he offered. "He said you'd maybe be up for some visitors for a little while?"

Magnum started to nod quickly, then winced and paused before continuing the gesture much more slowly. "Yeah, that sounds great, guys." He coughed, and Rick could hear the slight wheeze to Magnum's breathing and the catch in his cough.

"Hey, you sure you're good?" T.C. had clearly noticed it as well and glanced at Rick and Higgins with a raised eyebrow of his own before stepping over to grab the plastic cup from the bedside table. "Here," he offered, holding the cup where his friend could reach the straw. "Slow sips. Take a breath. There you go."

Meanwhile, Rick and Higgins moved into the room to stand near the bed, watching Magnum with concern as they tried to observe his condition for themselves. Ethan had only been able to tell them so much, but even that wasn't the same as seeing Magnum for themselves. They'd all been so worried for so long, not to mention that he'd been in pretty rough shape when they'd found him. So even though it had been a couple of days already and the medical staff were saying he was going to be okay, they still needed to verify that news for themselves.

Magnum nodded his thanks to T.C. as his friend put the cup back on the table. He swallowed as he looked around the room at the other three. "I'll be okay, really," he reassured them. "A little bit of downtime, and then I'll be good as new." He shook his head when they all still looked dubious. "Ethan said I'm healing up well. I'm already on my way to being back out there chasing leads and paddling on the ocean."

They still didn't look convinced, but no one argued with him just then.

"We're just glad you're okay," Rick said, patting Magnum's leg. "You know you had us worried there."

"Yeah," Magnum replied quietly. He gave Rick a grim smile. "Sorry about that."

Higgins cleared her throat. "By the way, we thought you might want to know Detective Palima wrapped up the loose ends from the case. He questioned the criminal Katsumoto took down and was able to get enough information to round up the others who were part of Ivan's plans. They were all local thugs who were willing to work for the highest paying employer; besides the two who were with him at, um, the warehouse where you were being held, there were a couple guarding the road nearby and a few others who'd been hired for supplies or transportation."

"They've all been taken into custody," T.C. added with a nod. "I think it's safe to say this whole mess with Ivan is finally over with."

Magnum let his eyes slip closed as relief crossed his face, then a thought seemed to occur to him, and he looked back at Higgins. "What about the other guy? Ivan had two men working for him."

"I shot him," Rick replied simply.

Satisfaction colored Magnum's grim smile as he leaned back against the pillows propping him up.

There was a brief pause, then Higgins cleared her throat.

"By the way," she spoke up. "I brought what you asked for." She lifted a square black box and tilted it toward Magnum. "Want to tell us what's so important that you need your watch while you're in hospital?" She chuckled as she handed him the box. "There are clocks here, you know."

Magnum shook his head as he carefully flipped the lid of the box open. "No, I need to find what Ivan was looking for."

The other three exchanged a look.

"Uh, want to explain there, T.M.?" Rick asked.

Covering another small cough, Magnum pulled the watch from the box and regarded it carefully. "Ivan was looking for information he thought I had," he explained. He glanced up at the others. "The reason he's been after the SEAL behind the White Knight is because whoever it was had intel on him, information the CIA had gathered."

"Wait, hold on," T.C. frowned. "You mean Hannah?"

Magnum nodded again. "Yeah, it's kind of crazy, but I think she hid a chip with that intel on it in my dad's watch. I just never realized it was there."

The others were silent for a moment, then Higgins shook her head.

"There's no way it's in the watch," she said. Noticing Magnum's frown, she quickly continued. "Trust me. It would have been next to impossible for her to have hidden it in the Rolex itself. Too many delicate parts, and she'd have needed the right tools in the field to have been able to do it exactly right without damaging the watch or affecting the workings of the thing to the point where you'd have noticed at some point over the past few years."

"Plus I had it cleaned since I got back," Magnum added thoughtfully. "The shop would've found a chip if Hannah had managed to hide one inside the watch."

Higgins nodded.

"So…" Rick began as he watched Magnum turning the box over in his hands. "Do you think she could've hidden it somewhere else?"

The Rolex was lying on the blanket in Magnum's lap, and the P.I.'s focus was now fixed solely on the box in which the watch had been stored.

"You're thinking she hid it in the box somehow?" T.C. asked.

Magnum nodded. "Hannah knew I'd never get rid of this watch… It's the only thing I have left of my dad's."

As the others watched, Magnum ran his fingers along the lining inside the box, looking for a seam that could be concealing a hidden item. A few beats passed as he examined the container, and then he grinned in satisfaction as the lining gave a little. Moments later, he was holding a tiny memory card between his fingers.

"Well, I guess you were right," Rick remarked. "Not that I doubted you!" he added quickly. "But… wow. I can't believe she was going to use you to smuggle information back like that."

Magnum made a face and then dropped the SD card into his left palm. "Guess we need to get this to the authorities ASAP," he said. "Ivan's dead, but maybe they can use this intel to dismantle his operations before his men scatter."

"Are you curious to know what's on it?" Higgins asked.

There was a pause as Magnum regarded the card in his hand, and then he shook his head and reached over to offer it to his partner. "No," he said simply. The tired expression on his face filled in the space of what he'd left unsaid.

Nodding, she took it from him and carefully reached over to slip it into a zippered pocket of her bag. "I'll get it to Palima," she assured Magnum.

T.C. shook his head. "I really hope we're done with surprises from Hannah," he stated. "I was hoping that we'd heard the last of her after Myanmar."

The others nodded.

"Well," Magnum said. The others could hear the exhaustion in his voice as he continued, "I think we are now."

Reaching over for the box lying next to Magnum, Rick tilted his head as he studied it. "So Hannah just didn't have a chance to get back to this after she'd sold us out?" he asked in a wry tone. "I'm surprised."

Magnum shrugged a shoulder. "I'd left it with my stuff when we headed out on that… last mission. I guess she got tied up with whatever she was busy doing and wasn't able to retrieve the card between us leaving and our stuff getting shipped back to the States. Maybe she couldn't track the watch down after my uncle took my stuff for safekeeping… I don't know, but apparently she never got her hands on it again."

"No complaints here," Rick commented, prompting a nod from T.C. "Do you think that's why she made contact in Oahu in the first place? She was looking for the watch?"

At that, Higgins snapped her fingers. "There was that break-in attempt right around the time Hannah resurfaced," she exclaimed, looking pointedly at Magnum. "Remember? The lads scared off whoever it was, but now I wonder if that was Hannah trying to get to your stuff."

He nodded. "No way to know for sure, but that could be it."

Before anyone could say more, there was a knock on the door of the room, and Rick turned to pull it open as Magnum called a quiet, "Come in."

"Hey, Gordon!" Rick exclaimed happily, opening the door fully so the detective could enter.

Katsumoto gave Rick a grateful smile of thanks before turning to the patient in the bed. The detective was limping and slightly favoring his right side, but the others were just glad to see him on his feet.

"How are you, man?" T.C. asked, quickly moving to scoot the chair by Magnum's bed toward Katsumoto. "Here, sit down."

"I'm fine." Katsumoto looked like he was about to argue further but then nodded and accepted the seat. "Thanks," he acknowledged.

The others watched him quietly, and the detective was the one to break the silence as he looked up at Magnum. "How are you feeling?"

Magnum raised his eyebrows a hair and let out a small breath. "I feel like I should be asking you that." When the detective started to protest, Magnum shook his head. "It's thanks to you we made it out."

Shaking his head, Katsumoto replied, "You did a lot of that on your own. You're the one who brought Ivan down."

"And we're just glad you both made it out in one piece," Rick interjected. He shot Magnum a meaningful look. "More or less." His phone buzzed in his pocket then, and he pulled it out to check the screen. "Hey, I have to run," he said, looking back up at the others. "Got a vendor stopping by La Mariana this afternoon, and I have a few things to get done there before that." Rick reached over and patted his buddy's leg gently. "You rest up, okay? I need you and Higgy back in my bar, keeping that booth busy with clients who can turn into my customers."

Magnum chuckled and nodded in response. "You got it."

"Speaking of clients!" Higgins spoke up then. "You could have done a little background on these 'clients'" —the air quotes were evident in her tone— "before accepting that first meeting, you know. Instead, you went in blind, and look what happened."

"Wait, hold on!" Magnum rolled his eyes. "We've never needed to do a background check on every prospective client before meeting with them. That's part of the reason we meet them at the bar anyway; neutral ground, and then we can research them once we've talked to them."

"Well, you can be sure that will be changing starting now."

Hand on the doorknob, Rick smirked at Higgins' comment. "She has a point, T.M."

"You stay out of this!" Magnum shot back goodnaturedly.

Rick just gave him a parting grin and then stepped out into the hallway.

As the door swung shut behind Rick, T.C. turned back to the others. "By the way," he said, looking at Katsumoto. "Have you heard anything about the white SUV? I know Detective Palima was trying to track it down after our mysterious friend had dropped Kumu at Robin's Nest the other day."

"No," Katsumoto replied. "I haven't heard anything. He vanished again just like before. He seems to know all the places where cameras won't pick him up and has pretty much stayed off the radar. HPD's looking for him, but he hasn't resurfaced since the cameras caught him leaving the estate."

The others nodded quietly. 

"I still can't believe we spent all that time worried about the driver of the SUV — and then thinking Miles Hamler was the one at the wheel — when it turned out to be someone who knew my dad," Magnum said quietly. "It's strange to think there was someone looking out for me all this time, and I didn't even know it."

He was staring at the wall just past the foot of his bed as he spoke, and T.C. and Higgins exchanged a glance over their friend's head.

"Hey, we probably should get going," T.C. said then, putting a hand on Magnum's shoulder. "Ethan said you needed plenty of rest, and I'm not counting on Higgy being able to sweet-talk him into letting us stay if we keep you awake."

Higgins laughed. "He's got a point. Ethan takes his job quite seriously."

"I should probably be going, too," Katsumoto said, putting his hands on the arms of the chair. T.C. moved toward him slightly as if ready to help if needed, but the detective managed to get to his feet with a bit of effort. "Dennis is picking me up in a few minutes."

"You sure you're up to being out and about already?" T.C. asked, concern in his tone.

Waving off the comment, Katsumoto shook his head. "Don't worry. It's just movie night at my place. But thanks. Get some rest, Magnum," he added in parting. "I expect you to be back to making my job harder before long."

Magnum grinned, but the others could see the exhaustion coloring his expression even more than it had just a few moments before. "Will do, Gordy."

Rounding the bed to head toward the door, T.C. gave Magnum one last long look. "Get some rest, brother. We'll come back and visit after dinner."

"Just bring me something better than this hospital food, please," Magnum asked, his tone low and starting to slur with fatigue. "Can't take much more of this stuff they're feeding me."

T.C. shook his head and chuckled. "Ethan might have my head for that, but I'll see what I can do."

Magnum shifted in the passenger seat as they made the turn onto the road leading to Robin's Nest. "I gotta say," he commented, "I can't wait to get back to normal, but I'm definitely looking forward to spending tonight in my own bed."

"You still have a long way to go before we're letting you go running around the island again," Rick informed him.

His friend made a face.

"I'm pretty sure the others are going to have something to say about that, too. But don't worry; Higgins has already told us she plans to keep any and all cases away from you until Ethan clears you for action again. You'll just have to deal with some downtime for the next little while."

Glancing out of the window of the Porsche, Thomas just shook his head. "You know," he said after a moment, "it feels… odd that I don't have to keep looking over my shoulder for that SUV. I've been so worried about it for so long, and it's weird to think that now I actually know why it was there."

"And that it won't be there anymore?" Rick asked.

Magnum nodded.

They were almost at the estate now, close enough that the gates were coming into view. Magnum was looking in the rearview mirror, so Rick was the first to spot the vehicle parked on the road just beside the driveway that led into Robin's Nest.

"Hey, Thomas?"

His friend's gaze dropped to look at Rick and then immediately out the windshield when Magnum saw where Rick was focused.

The white SUV, standing out against the greenery around it, was impossible to miss.

Rick heard his friend's quick intake of breath. Even though they now knew the man who had rented the vehicle wasn't a threat, Rick couldn't mistake the shiver that ran through him at the sight of the Tahoe. He knew Thomas had to be feeling that even more so.

"It looks deserted," Magnum observed, and Rick nodded as he slowed to a halt just after pulling onto the driveway.

"I'll check it out," Rick offered. He didn't wait for a reply before he reached over and pulled a gun from the glove box. Then he threw open his door and advanced toward the SUV. Although he knew Thomas well enough to know the man would want to be right there with him, Rick also knew there was no way his friend was in good enough shape for that just yet. They'd had to wheel him out to the car in a chair — and not just because it was hospital policy. There was no way Magnum would've made it to the parking lot without the assistance.

His friend was strong and had been through so much worse, Rick knew, but that didn't mean the guy didn't have his limits. And having been tortured for hours before being shot and losing almost too much blood well exceeded those limits.

So now, Rick was the one checking out what appeared to be an abandoned vehicle and hoping Thomas had the good sense to stay in the Porsche and let Rick handle things. Thankfully, it seemed like that was exactly what was going to happen, and Rick only looked back once before he circled the SUV.

Sure enough, it looked completely empty. The engine was off, and no one could be seen through the windows. Tentatively, Rick stepped up to the front passenger door and tried the handle. It gave under his grasp, and he pulled it open ever so slowly. He was waiting for some kind of noise to indicate the thing was booby-trapped, ready to duck for cover if needed, but nothing happened.

Door open, he looked back and saw Magnum standing next to the car, leaning heavily against the side of the vehicle as he carefully observed Rick's progress. Rick just turned back to the Tahoe; it would be no use trying to say anything to Thomas right then. After they were done with the SUV and settled in the guesthouse, he would have a few comments for his friend. But for now, Rick was just going to finish looking through the vehicle for anything the driver might have left so that he could report back to Magnum.

Rick wasn't expecting to find much. If the guy was ex-intelligence like he'd told Kumu — and there was no reason to doubt that, especially after the information he had given them that had led them right to Ivan's hideout — then there was little chance he'd left anything behind. The interior was no doubt wiped clean; even if HPD went over it with a fine-toothed comb, they probably weren't going to find anything.

A small black device sitting on the center console caught his attention, and Rick leaned over to get a better look.

It was a cell phone, a nondescript model that had probably come from a prepaid package at a local gas station. Rick quickly looked over the rest of the vehicle but didn't spot anything. He paused briefly before grabbing the phone, then made the decision there probably were no prints on it if the guy had purposefully left it there for them to find and snatched up the small device. Then he stepped back and swung the door to the Tahoe closed before returning to where Magnum was waiting next to the idling car.

"Found anything?" Magnum called curiously as Rick approached.

Rick waved the device at his friend. "There wasn't much there other than this phone. I'm assuming it's got something important on it if our guy left it here like this. He wanted you to find it."

Holding out a hand to take the phone from Rick, Magnum tried and failed to hide his wince at the way the movement pulled at his side. The change in his expression didn't go unnoticed, and Rick gave him a pointed look.

"Let's get you inside and on the couch," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument. Rick put a hand on Magnum's back and helped his friend slowly get back into the car. "I'll call Palima and get him to send techs to process the SUV. Probably nothing for them to find, but it won't hurt."

Magnum was breathing heavily now, sweat beading on his forehead from the effort, but he just nodded slowly. "Yeah, this guy is probably off the island already," was all he said. He gave Rick a grateful half-smile as Rick shut the door and then moved around the car's hood to climb back behind the wheel.

"Well, what do you say we go back to the guesthouse and then check out that phone?" Rick said as he put the vehicle back in gear and pulled through the gates of the estate. "There's got to be something on it this guy, whoever he is, wanted you to see. Plus, T.C. and Jules should be joining us soon, and I'm sure they're going to be pretty interested in whatever's on there, too."

Even while Rick was talking, Magnum was fiddling with the phone, and he looked over at Rick a moment later. "Looks like there's just one thing on here," he reported. "It's a video in the camera roll. I don't see any contact information or other files saved anywhere."

"Make sense," Rick observed. By now, he was pulled up as close to the guesthouse as he could get the car, but he held off on cutting the engine and turned back to his friend. "Do you want to watch it here or inside?"

"Hi, Thomas. You don't know me, but I feel like I know you. When you were little, I served with your dad, and I heard so much about you, from that first baseball game you guys had gone see to that first home run you scored for your Little League team. Your dad was so proud of you. I know he was; there was no doubt about it. I didn't know you or your mom personally, but I felt like I did with the way your dad talked about your family. Thomas was a great friend, and it was a shock to all of us who knew him when he… well, when we lost him.

"I know you probably don't remember much from back then, but I was at his service. It was lovely, by the way. Anyway, and then I shipped back out, but I always kept an eye on you guys as much as I could. I'm just sorry I couldn't do more to help you along the way, but you took care of yourself pretty well. You take after your dad that way, you know.

"He was an honorable guy who'd be proud to know how you turned out. I guarantee the way he'd talked about you as a kid would've just continued to this day.

"Anyway, I just wanted you to hear that from me before I left. Sorry I couldn't stick around, but I'm sure you understand. You take care of yourself, you hear? And who knows, we might just see more of each other in the future, kid."