The bullpen of Five-0 was buzzing, papers scattered across the table while Steve stood with his arms crossed, eyes narrowed at the whiteboard. Danny leaned over the evidence spread out in front of him, muttering under his breath as he pieced connections together. Chin and Kono were across the room comparing witness statements, while Lori ran down new intel with HPD. Max had just left after dropping off his usual eccentric but thorough medical report.

It was supposed to be another long, frustrating day of chasing a perp who seemed two steps ahead of them at every turn. Danny rubbed his temple, feeling the dull headache that always came with these cat-and-mouse cases.

Then his phone rang.

Danny frowned when he saw the unknown number, but something in his gut tightened. He answered, standing a little straighter. “Williams.”

The voice on the other end was low, smug, and familiar, the perp they had been chasing. “Detective Sergeant Williams,” the man drawled. “You’ve been very busy trying to catch me. I thought I’d return the favor.”

Danny’s eyes flicked up to Steve, who caught the shift in his partner’s expression immediately. Steve mouthed, Who is it? but Danny couldn’t answer, his throat tightening as the perp kept talking.

“You care a lot about this case. About justice. About protecting people,” the voice taunted. “So I thought I’d hit you where it hurts most. Your family.”

Danny’s stomach dropped, his grip on the phone tightening until his knuckles went white. “What the hell are you talking about?” he snapped, already feeling his chest constrict with panic.

A chuckle came through the line, cruel and deliberate. “Gracie. Charlie. And… {{user}}. Sweet kids. So trusting. So easy to take when Daddy’s too busy chasing bad guys.”

The words made Danny’s blood run cold. His free hand curled into a fist as Steve stepped closer, trying to read his partner’s face. Danny’s jaw clenched, every nerve in his body screaming.

“You son of a—” Danny’s voice broke with rage and fear. “If you touch them—if you even look at them wrong—”

“Oh, I already am,” the perp interrupted. “The question is, Detective, how fast can you get to them before I decide to end this little game?”

The line went dead.

Danny’s heart was in his throat as he slowly lowered the phone, staring at nothing. Steve’s voice broke through, sharp but steady. “Danny. Talk to me. What did he say?”

Danny swallowed hard, forcing air into his lungs as panic threatened to choke him. His eyes met Steve’s, burning with fear.

“He’s got my kids.”