Steve was late entering the task force’s headquarters the next morning. He wouldn’t admit it if his life depended on it, but he’d taken a bit more care with his appearance before leaving his house. Instead of his usual boots, cargos and polo shirt, he wore regular shoes, black jeans, and a light-blue shirt. He’d also shaved twice, so the usual scruff had yet to make an appearance. He wanted to be a little more presentable than usual as he apologized to Sabrina.

Danny lifted his eyebrows at the sight of his partner arriving late and not wearing his usual ‘uniform’, but decided not to comment, since Steve appeared rather jittery. God only knew what he was capable of doing if Danny rattled him some more. He carefully peered into the hallway, half-expecting Sabrina to come in after Steve. They were both late this morning, and usually that only meant one thing—that they’d spent the night together.

Though that seemed highly improbable to Danny, since the two have apparently not yet solved whatever issues there were between them...But one never knew. Heat of the moment, and all that jazz.

But Sabrina was still a no-show, and Steve’s frown as he noticed his empty office, told more than a hundred words. Something had happened, something that has spurred him into grooming himself in the morning, but they haven’t spent the night together.

So where was she? When Danny had visited her at the hospital she’d been climbing walls, itching to come back to work. She’d been released yesterday, yet there was no sign of her. Intriguing, most intriguing, Danny mused.

Steve looked from his office to Danny. “Where’s Sabrina?”

Danny shrugged. “She hasn’t showed up yet.”

Chin and Kono also haven’t seen her. She was unusually late.

“She won’t come in,” Marcus Hawthorne supplied from the hallway.

Now there was a man who apparently had no problems in looking ‘spiffy’, Steve thought with a mental snarl. Hawthorne wore that suit as if he’d been born with it, and there had barely been a shadow on his chin the previous evening...And Steve certainly didn’t want to think of just why he knew that detail.

Marc walked to McGarrett and pressed Sabrina’s badge into his chest, forcing the man to take it. “She’s no longer affiliated with your team.”

“What did you do?” Steve growled softly, dangerously.

Marc shook his head. “Oh, no. The question you should be asking is what did you do, McGarrett.”

Danny looked at Steve. Very intriguing.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me,” Marc continued. “I need to go be a governor.” And make sure his sister didn’t get herself into any more trouble. Which was easier said than done, he mused as he stalked out of the Five-0 headquarters a bit disappointed with himself for not having slugged Steve McGarrett for hurting his sister.

When the governor was gone, Steve turned to Danny and Danny rolled his eyes.

“Oh, I have an idea, Steven. Why don’t we take my car?”

That earned him a glare and he sighed. “Too much sarcasm? I don’t think so. Not enough, not nearly enough. Hey, wait up!”




Sabrina Logan’s rental home

She had her phone on speaker, hacking into the IA database—which gave her all kinds of pleasure—when her doorbell rang.

“Hold on, Ed,” she told her buddy at Langley. “I’ll be right back.”

She glanced at the clock on her computer, wondering who her late-morning visitor might be. It might be Marc, he’d called earlier, inviting her to lunch—probably in apology, but she had to eat. So, as precaution, she tucked her SIG in the back of her leggings.

But there were no bad guys at her door, only Steve, looking his usual grim, scowly self, and Danny, looking sheepish and apologetic.

“Hey,” Danny greeted, perusing the slender form in front of him. She was dressed head-to-toe in black, from the black headband keeping her hair away from her face, black top, black leggings, and black flats. Even the bruises on her throat had turned black, adding to the overall ensemble. Her expression was blank, her eyes cold and icy, reflecting the images around her.

Danny wondered what had happened to make her retreat behind the cold façade.

“Can I help you?” she asked, satisfied her voice had lost its raspy quality, returning almost to normal.

His intentions of apologizing forgotten since Marcus Hawthorne’s visit, Steve pulled her badge from his pocket. “What is this?”

Reena cocked her head. “It appears to be a badge.”

“Your badge.”

“Oh, okay.”

“What was it doing in Hawthorne’s possession this morning?”

Danny chose to remain a silent observant. The way Steve was growling and Sabrina was getting colder by the second, things might start flying any moment. It was best to remain on the sidelines.

“I tended my resignation last night,” she replied.

“Why?”

“Because you wanted me off your team.” A slow blink. “I’m off your team.”

Danny looked at Steve. He wanted Sabrina off their team? Was he kidding? Or was he trying to protect her, made a muck of things, and she took it too literally? He would have to go with the latter. But he wasn’t offering suggestions.

Reena looked from Steve to Danny and back. “If that’s all you came here for, you’ll have to excuse me, I have work to do.”

Steve was starting to hate that detached tone. “You’re still working on my father’s case?”

“Yes. It’s the reason the governor had me join your team in the first place. And don’t worry, Commander McGarrett, he still wants this case solved. ASAP. I’m sure he’ll keep you appraised of things, since not being a member of your team anymore, I am not a liberty of divulging any classified information. Good day, gentlemen.”

And Reena closed the door in their faces with a strange feeling of satisfaction. Maybe it was a little petty, but it felt good to have the last word.

And it was good to be able to keep her distance. He’s done her a great favor last night. She’s lost her perspective in the last month, lost the focus on her prerogative. She needed to finish the mission, get to the bottom of the case, and keep him alive to tell the tale. The ice-age-like atmosphere between them would only make it easier for her to leave after all was said and done. Let him go on with his life without any more interruptions, without any more ghosts from the past.

She sighed, wiped at the stray tear on her cheek, and went back into her den. She had a mission to complete.