A/N: Sorry for the delay, I had to restructure this whole chapter as I just didn't like it. This is a lot better, yet still not exactly how I wanted it. Please be kind. LOL. I hope you like it anyway…

Nineteen

Late the next morning
Kamekona's Shrimp Truck

"I was hoping you would call."

Kono was silent for a moment as she sat across from him in the warm, Hawaiian sun. Why she'd agreed to see him this morning was still a question she was asking herself. She could have held off a bit more… "I wasn't going to." Adam tilted his head to the side slightly as he assessed her admission.

"Is it too much for a man to hope that you simply couldn't let him go?" he asked. Kono looked up at him.

"I can't deny there is something between us," she told him plainly. He looked pleased to hear that. "But that's not why I'm here. I'm here because I felt I owed it to myself to hear what you had to say without a particularly hostile audience." Adam nodded.

"I understand that. And am very grateful."

"Not that we're completely alone, mind you," she said, gesturing to Kamekona's truck behind them. The man himself kept throwing furtive glances their way, concern written all over his face evidenced by the number of wrinkles in his forehead. When Adam caught the man's eye, the worrying mother hen look immediately transformed into one of warning. Other than that, Kamekona let them have their space.

"Whatever makes you comfortable. Whatever it takes for you to understand that I am sincere when I say that I am so sorry…" he said, reaching out to take one of her hands. Kono couldn't help the tiny flinch, and she pulled them out of his reach. The white bandages around her wrists were fresh, and stark, against the morning light.

"We're not to that point," she told him. He tried to keep the hurt from his eyes as he nodded, but he didn't quite succeed as he retracted his hand again.

"I'm encouraged that you could think that there may be a point where it's possible," he said with a small smile. Kono just shook her head.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush here, Adam. I just want to know why. Why did you do it?" she asked, doing her best to mask the pain and betrayal in her voice. "I trusted you."

Adam had the grace to look completely ashamed as he looked away, out towards the water. "I honestly did not know you were going to be handed over to Delano." Kono frowned at those words, but indicated for him to continue. "By the time you came to the house, I was already up to my neck in trouble. My father… was already a dead man, but I believed I could save him. I had to try. If I'd known…"

"If you'd known that it wouldn't have made a difference you wouldn't have done it?" Kono asked, bitter disbelief seeping into her assumption. She had to scoff a bit at it, of course. Adam looked back to her.

"You don't understand, I didn't have much choice in the matter," he said tightly. Kono met his gaze with a hard one of her own.

"No, because you're Adam Noshimuri. Son of the head of the powerful Hawaiian branch of the Yakuza. All free will on your part is non-existent," she said in mock understanding. He flinched.

"There are more players involved than just the Yakuza," he said. Kono chuckled.

"I am fully aware of that," she told him, then let out a heavy breath in order to reign in emotion. "I think I've had enough of talking today. If there's any hope of continuing this at some point, you need to go."

"Kono, we haven't really said anything…"

"Oh, I think we've said enough for now," she refuted as she stood. "I got what I came for. I'll be in touch…"

"Kono…" If he thought she was going to give him any sort of concession, he was sorely mistaken.

"Sistah say you need to go, you need to go," Kamekona called from the truck, making it very clear that he was alert to Kono's uneasiness. Adam's gaze flicked from Kamekona back to Kono. His jaw was tense, but he gave her a nod.

"I can be patient, Kono." With that, he stood up too. "What we had is worth being patient for."

"If what we had before is what you are looking for, then it's not worth the wait. What we had before died in that ocean," she informed him, her eyes locked on his. He shook his head.

"I don't believe that." Kono didn't say anything. If that's what he wanted to continue believing, she wasn't going to dissuade him. But she knew better. What they'd had before was so very naïve. She'd talked herself into something that was built on lies and denial. Well, none of that was true now.

When Adam turned to walk away, Kono closed her eyes. It had been harder than she'd anticipated to sit across from him and not be affected by what had happened. Even for the job. Even knowing what it could accomplish.

"You okay, sistah?" Kamekona asked from behind her. When she turned around, he held out her favorite flavored shave ice.

"I'm okay, Kamekona. Thank you. Just working out some demons," she said with a small chuckle as she took the proffered item.

"Shave ice always helps with that," the large man said with a friendly smile. Kono could only give him a bemused smile in return. To the outsiders, their ohana was quite the odd and rag-tag bunch, she was sure. But it made so much sense.

"You are a prince among men, Kamekona," she told him. He winked to her.

"It's why the wahines love me." When her phone rang moments later, Kono was laughing.

One hour later
Beretania Street
Honolulu

"Well, can I at least say that I don't feel as bad about missing these as I did before?" Danny commented as he stared at a newly revealed compartment along with all the other Five-0 members. They were at the scene of Fryer's break in from the prior day.

"These were likely old opium smuggling caches, among other things that came through these districts to help line prominent pockets back in the day. Whoever found these paid good money to have these not be easily found again," Chin noted as he looked over the space, kneeling down to run his hands over the edges.

"The family claims they never knew they were here," Kono said.

"I'm inclined to believe them," Chin said. Danny frowned.

"Why?" Chin slid the compartment door on the floor closed again, making it a seamless match to the hardwood floor above it.

"Because if they knew, they'd be expendable. The only family that was killed was the family that was at home unexpectedly and stumbled on the people using these compartments. If this family had known, we'd be looking at more dead bodies," Chin explained. Kono nodded.

"They'd want these kept secret as long as possible," she agreed.

"Yeah, but they likely wouldn't remain secret forever," Danny pointed out.

"True, but it's likely this wasn't a long term option. They had to get creative. Delano's organization was under the microscope, the Yakuza had shifty things happening with Hiro's disappearance, and Wo Fat… well he's always shifty," Chin said.

"And the governor's been putting pressure on ATF and ICE to get a handle on the sale of illegal weapons," Lori informed them. The four looked over to her.

"Well, thanks for passing that info along. Good to know it's an even exchange," Danny quipped before rolling his eyes. Lori let out a huff.

"It didn't concern me or Five-0," she defended. Danny indicated the floor in front of them.

"Oh no, clearly not. You have a lot to learn, weed hopper."

"To be fair, we only really stumbled on this ourselves just now," Chin said reasonably, giving Danny a smirk when the blond man glared at him.

"OK, so ATF and ICE has been putting pressure on, meaning arms have been closely watched. It would explain the chatter the Governor alerted me to," Steve said.

"Does he know something more than that, you think?" Chin asked with a frown. Steve thought about that for a second.

"It's doubtful, but my track record says I've been wrong about these things before," he said.

"So this is the back door for arms dealing then? Where's the sense in that?" Danny asked.

"The military is Hawaii's second largest industry, meaning the black market is working just as diligently in its shadow," Steve said, running a hand over his tired face. "I agree with Chin. It's likely this is their short term holding plan before they can distribute. With the bureaus on a sharp lookout, who would look in the wealthiest Honolulu districts for illegal arms?"

"Those who know the connection, obviously," Vince Fryer's voice said from behind the group. The five turned to watch the IA man approach, flashing his badge at the on duty escort officer. "Delano's awake, fully lucid, and cantankerously on the mend. I have a detective questioning him as we speak. ICE and ATF also have a man waiting in line for their turn."

"Good to know the man isn't lonely," Danny quipped.

"He won't be for a while," Fryer assured. Then he looked at Steve. "And I don't want anyone from Five-0 near him for the time being. Is that understood?"

"For personal or professional reasons?" Steve asked, curious. Danny chuckled before Fryer could answer.

"Cuz there's heaps of both involved there," the blond said, before he looked to Fryer for the official answer. The IA detective just grimaced a smile.

"Let's just cover all bases and say both," he replied. Danny nodded.

"It's good to be thorough," he noted. Then he looked to Steve. "Hear that, partner? No unsanctioned visits of any variety."

"I'm not deaf, Danno."

"Just making sure." Steve rolled his eyes.

Fryer turned to look at Kono with a smirk. "I heard you're making nice again with Yakuza Junior. Seems to me you're getting a taste for this sort of thing." Kono eyed the man with interest.

"Where'd you hear that?" she inquired, genuinely curious at his ridiculously up to date reports. Fryer just shrugged.

"I have my sources…" Chin frowned and stepped closer to the other man.

"Wait a minute. We're all on the same side here, I thought. If Kono doesn't have all the cards in her hand…" he started, angry at the lack of information.

"Chin, he's just warning me that I have a tail and my whereabouts are starting to be noted," Kono tried to assure. But her cousin wasn't appeased.

"You've got her jumping into the deep end again and all you can tell us is that you have your sources?" he asked. Fryer looked at Kono again.

"All I'm saying is that Kono does have a tail. She's correct in that. But she already knew that… didn't you?" he asked her directly. Kono nodded.

"They were watching me as I talked with Adam," she confirmed. Fryer nodded.

"And we were watching them," Fryer noted. Steve looked to the other man.

"You've actually got surveillance on Kono?" he asked, sounded a bit surprised. It certainly hadn't been Fryer's way in the previous op. Fryer just smiled.

"I learned my lesson." Danny scoffed, reading between the lines.

"That's a load of bull. You've got surveillance on the guys following Kono. Ergo, you've got accidental surveillance on Kono," he supplied. Fryer just shrugged, which was confirmation enough.

"Thought you guard dogs here at Five-0 already had that part of it all covered anyway," the man said, looking in turn at each of the men. "But then again, you've had some things to distract you."

"Anyway," Steve cut in, already fed up with the IA man. "So, no bedside vigils and flowers for Delano. Anything else?"

"We've got the ballistics lab tracking the weapons we pulled out of the house yesterday. We'll let you know if they come up with anything," Fryer informed them. Steve nodded.

"In the meantime, Danny and I will need to go talk with the travel agency owners again. Chin, Kono, Lori… take a few, take a long lunch, whatever. We'll regroup later," he told them. The three nodded, but Fryer cleared his throat.

"Now that we're done with this happy little confab… If you don't mind, I'm actually going to borrow Officer Weston for a few. I could use her profiling sense on an interview I have waiting," Fryer told them. When Steve looked to Lori, the woman just shrugged indifferently.

"Alright," he agreed warily.

"No more recruiting pitches, please," Danny added. Fryer just smirked.

"Wouldn't dream of it," he responded before indicating for Lori to follow him. As the two left, the rest of Five-0 followed behind, dodging the crime scene unit specialists on their way.

"Catch a lunchtime beer, cuz, while these two go get the gold star for effort today?" Chin asked good-naturedly as he walked to his car. Kono grinned at the griping coming from Danny's direction.

"Robot Steve doesn't believe in food… or beer… A much needed beer, might I add," he said. Steve shook his head.

"The Lawrences could be on a plane to the mainland or to Timbuktu by now, Daniel, if they've found out we have a solid connection to them."

"You know where Timbuktu is, huh?"

"I'm not going to dignify that with an answer." Chin and Kono rolled their eyes at each other at the typical back and forth.

"Maybe later, Chin. I've actually got a call to make. But I'll see you guys later," Kono said, catching Steve's eye quickly as he pulled the Camaro door open. No words needed.

Danny stopped Kono before she could rush away and his eyes caught on the unfamiliar phone in her hand.

"Hey," the blond said quietly. "I know that call isn't personal. And since you turned down a rare lunchtime beer, I know it's important. Be careful, alright?" He was saying what his partner wouldn't say, but also making sure he got his own thoughts in as well. It wasn't as much of a dictatorship as some liked to believe.

"Danny…"

"No," he stopped her. "This isn't the typical 'go get 'em tiger', 'break a leg', whatever rally cheer fits before an op, okay? This is a very firm, very serious 'be careful'. We are in muddy waters right now and the last thing we need is something happening to you when you're out running Fryer's errands. We're in the crosshairs, as you well know, and with us all being stretched it'll be easy to catch us off guard again." Kono laid a hand on the blond's shoulder.

"I hear you, and I will be careful. The same goes for you guys, okay?" Danny scoffed.

"I'm always careful," he told her. "It's the other half of this particular partnership you need to remind…" Kono chuckled, but Danny's hand gripped her wrist gently, above the bandage. "If you can't put Chin in your back pocket, call if you have a bad feeling. I don't care if it ends up being indigestion. Just call…"

Kono smiled.

"Promise." He nodded before jogging over the awaiting Camaro and his surprisingly patient partner.

"You're late. I don't usually take calls from people who don't find it important to respond right away."

"I know. It couldn't be helped."

"That's what you get, I guess, from playing both sides. You realize I am putting a lot of faith into what I've heard about you to even be taking this call…"

"And I'm grateful. I can only imagine that's why you've had a tail on me?"

"At least you're not as stupid as some. You can at least be perceptive."

"Someone has to be, right? With Frank out of commission and Paul dead?"

The silence meant there was a sideline discussion happening without her. Kono didn't take it personally. She'd long since dialed down that particular fear of being caught out. The silence also meant she wasn't having a one on one conversation. That, in itself, was an intriguing tidbit.

"Meet me at 10 o'clock tonight. I will text you the address. We'll discuss matters then…"

The distinct click of a call disconnecting told Kono that she at least had her foot in the door. Now if she could only let out that little sigh of relief she should feel…

Governor's Mansion

The three people in conference stood around the Governor's desk with their arms crossed, heavily into an important discussion.

"You don't think he's in any way colluding?" Governor Denning asked. Lori let out a mental sigh as she shook her head.

"Absolutely not."

"And that's not just your… biased… opinion, is it?" he asked more pointedly. This time Lori sighed out loud.

"No."

"It's no secret that he's gotten intelligence from both Lieutenant Rollins and Commander White. McGarrett has used his so-called immunity liberally in the past, under the former administration," the man said. Fryer chuckled.

"That's the understatement of the year," he said, causing the governor to arch a look in his direction.

"McGarrett has several ties to the military outside of Rollins and White, sir, as you well know. But his trust in both Rollins and White is implicit," Lori said. "He was generally surprised by your own intelligence on the matter, though, sir."

"So he has no notion of any dealings going on in his backyard, and in your opinion, has no reason to think that either Rollins or White has any involvement in it," Denning asked. Lori nodded.

"Exactly."

"We're going to need to speak to both White and Rollins," the Governor told them. Fryer and Lori both nodded.

"You'd have a better bet going through their commanding officers – or former, in White's case. They'll respond to the official channels quicker. White has a way of, well, ignoring anything that he doesn't deem important and has proven to be unpredictable. 'Official' would be important to him," Lori said. Fryer looked between the two quickly before speaking up.

"What exactly are you looking for, sir?" he asked of the other man. He could smell something going on, beyond just the normal Five-0 politics.

"I'm not looking for anything. Consider it an insurance policy. But there is a reason that Lori is with them right now, and there is a reason why I asked you here," the man told them. Fryer sat down in the chair, his interest peaked. It wasn't often he got a direct conversation with the state's highest official.

"Well, here I am."

To be continued…

A/N: Alright, so that's the very much restructured version of this chapter. I hope it was decent. Anyway, I've got some things starting to unwind themselves, so the next few chapters should be busy, if not a bit time consuming to make sure I have everything right. The plot endgame is written, but now I just need to get us all there! Let me know what you're thinking!