Chapter Text
Jack McGarrett looked at the very large man standing in front of his desk. He’d arrived from Chicago a few weeks back, having been vouched for by Al Giabetta himself. Apparently, Lou Grover was a former SWAT officer; having left the force under suspicious conditions that Jack was eager to learn more about.
“So you went from being a cop to being a one-percenter? Tell me how that happens?”
A momentary flash of anger flashed in the dark brown depths before the giant man took a shuddering breath.
“I wanted to be a cop all my life. Went through the Academy, took my measures of shit for being a black man in Chicago. Met Renee at a diner near Grand Boulevard neighborhood and we went on a few dates before she dropped the bomb in my lap,” Lou explained, pausing to grin, and then continuing his tale, “When she told me her father was Wash Reardon, I about fainted. The man is Al Giabetta’s right hand and here I am, newly on the force, dating his daughter. Of course, we did the right thing and tried to break up. I say tried because … well when you meet her, you’ll know. Renee doesn’t hear the word “no” often and my telling her we couldn’t be together was like waving the red flags in front of both eyes.”
Jack contemplated the man as he spoke. It was obvious he was in love with his wife; his whole family. But Jack was still wary. Men in love did stupid shit.
“Our break-up lasted ten days. I came home from the station and she was sitting on the stoop of my building, arms crossed and looking at me like I’d eaten the last steak. ‘We’re not done, you and I. We’re gonna date. We’re probably gonna get married. If that means I have to stop speaking to my family, so be it. I love you, you oaf.’ And that was it. We were married less than four months later. Brass raised a stink but she was clean and I think they sent me to SWAT to try and scare me out of the force. Sadly for them, it didn’t quite work out that way.
“SWAT took me in, didn’t give a shit who my wife was or who she was related to. They just wanted someone who could shoot straight, cover their asses, and buy a round every once in a while. SWAT was my home for almost ten years,” Lou spoke with reverence of his former occupation, and Jack was listening, watching the man’s tells. When he spoke about his wife, he tended to roll his wedding ring around his finger. Speaking about SWAT, his hand went to the back of his neck and he rubbed it self-consciously.
“Renee and I have a daughter, Samantha. She’s seven years old and will absolutely be the death of me someday, I’m sure,” the Chicago man laughed, and Jack saw the absolute love of a father for his daughter. Jack tried not to wince, or think of his own children. Steven was living in San Diego with that couple he didn’t think Jack knew he was sleeping with. And Mary … Jack did wince and coughed to cover it.
“Sam is everything to me and Renee. Two years ago, a guy I thought would be behind bars for the rest of his life managed to get paroled. Of course, no one bothered to tell me so I had no idea he had come back to Chicago. Barnes and his son came to Chicago, stalked me, and kidnapped Sam. He threatened to kill her if I didn’t get a file from SWAT records. I had no access to the file; no reason to be interested in it. I tried twice to access the file and my superiors reprimanded me with a three-day vacation.” The jovial man was replaced by a hard-as-diamonds one-percenter in the blink of an eye. “Renee called her father. She hadn’t spoken to him since she’d decided to marry me and he understood. Two hours after Renee called her father, he called me and gave me an address. I found Sam there with her grandfather and Al Giabetta himself. Al took me to a different address, one of his buildings. The piece of shit Barnes and his son were there, trussed up like a Christmas goose. I handed my resignation in at SWAT the next day. Al gave me my patch six months later.”
“So that explains how you went from cop to criminal. Now explain why you’re here,” Jack inquired.
“Renee hates the cold. I mean, I wish I could tell you there’s some grandiose story like an ex-partner who tried to kill me or something but, Renee just is tired of the cold and we drew straws. I wanted New Mexico, no offense.”
Jack laughed out loud and slapped his hand on his thigh. “Lou, that’s the very same reason I came to Hawaii a million years ago. Can’t do the damned cold.”
Jack stood up, offering his hand to the larger man. Jack liked him and thought he’d be a nice fit into their club. “Welcome to ‘Auana, Lou Grover.”