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Dane cut in, “That makes sense. Of all the guys, he was sort of the odd man out. He was the most…neutral toward me. Not friendly, but not full of animosity either. Ben just kept his head down and did his work. My guess is he didn’t want to be involved anymore. He had to agree to keep his mouth shut, but he didn’t want a cut of the pie. What do you think, Mac?”
She hesitated. “I didn’t talk to them myself. Sinclair did, but if I had to guess, then yes, Ben seems to be the one that has the most to lose, so probably the most likely to flip.”
Cain touched his earbud. “Jace, Tac we’re heading out. I’ll explain on the way. Bring the SUVs around front.”
“Roger that,” they said, one right after the other.
Cain stood. “The team is still officially on leave so we should find him at home at this hour if he’s not on the run like the others.”
Dane’s adrenaline surged. They were on to something. He could feel it. If Ben knew about the drugs, then he might also know about the motherboards. They might actually be able to do what Bertrand needed them to do but, more importantly, with this information out there, Mac was no longer in danger. That was his end goal. Above everything else, he needed Mac to be safe. Fingers crossed this would make that happen.
CHAPTEREIGHTEEN
Mac got out of the SUV and fell in behind Cain. Dane brought up the rear. They walked down the path to Ben Hestman’s door. His house was a small bungalow on a quiet cul-de-sac. The front yard was littered with tricycles and balls, a soccer net, and even a hockey stick.
“Everyone in position?” Cain asked softly.
Mac heard the other members of the team confirm in her earbud.
Cain knocked on the door. A minute later, a small woman in her mid-thirties answered. She had on black shorts and a flower-patterned shirt. A splotch that could have been a baby puke stain on one shoulder, and her hair was sticking up on one side. Frazzled didn’t cover it.
“Can I help you?” she asked in a wary voice.
“Ma’am, I’m Cain Maddox. This is Mac Rankin and Dane Landry. We’d like to speak to your husband.”
She’d looked at Dane when she’d heard his name. There was recognition there for sure. She hesitated and then gave a little nod. “Wait here.” She closed the door again.
“Be alert. He might make a run for it.” Cain uttered the warning, but Mac fervently hoped he was wrong. She wanted this to be over. The whole drive-by yesterday had changed something. Dane had saved her life, and judging from the way he was moving this morning, at great cost to his back. For some asinine reason, the bomb had seemed less personal. It wasn’t. She’d still been the target but blowing someone up was less directed than searching them out in a car and shooting at them. She shook her head at her reasoning.
The way Dane had covered her with his body, putting himself in harm’s way to make sure she was okay; it was all too much. She couldn’t deal with it. Deal with the fact that he could have died, and it would have been her fault. She needed this to be over. She wanted another fresh start. Maybe even leave Hawai’i. Everything here felt tainted by this whole mess, even Dane. Especially her relationship with Dane.God, did they have a relationship?She snuck a peek at him, but his posture was rigid and his expression blank. He didn’t look back at her or give her a reassuring smile. That really would have helped her mood.
They waited three interminable minutes, and just as she ran out of patience the door opened again. Ben Hestman was slightly shorter than both Cain and Dane. He was broad but not as big as the other two either. His dark hair was cut in a buzz cut and he had multiple tattoos on his arms. He was in good shape but mostly what struck her was that he looked exhausted. His face was gaunt and his eyes sunken. He had a haunted look about him. She understood that perfectly. He wasn’t the only one haunted by these events.
“Darinda said you wanted to talk.”
Cain nodded. “May we come in?”
Ben hesitated but then stepped back and let them into his living room. It was small and crowded with toys. A small boy sat in the middle of the carpet, playing with blocks. Mac guessed his age around maybe two. Darinda came around the corner from the kitchen, carrying a small baby, maybe six months old, if Mac had to guess. The pink blanket the child was wrapped in made Mac assume the baby was a girl.
Ben waved them over to a dining table that was just off the kitchen. They walked through the living room to get to it. The house was small, and other than the blocks, it was tidy. Mac’s heart went out to the woman. It could not be easy with four kids under the age of six. Mac’s sister Natalie had two kids, and Mac couldn’t babysit for more than an hour or two without being exhausted.
“What are your children’s names?” she asked.
“Connor and Jason are the two older ones. They’re at a playdate.” She nodded toward the little one in the front room. “That’s Liam and this is Miranda.” She kissed the baby on her head.
“Lovely,” Mac murmured.
“Sit,” Ben said, and they all took a seat around the table. “What is it you want?”
Cain glanced at Mac and then Dane.
Mac cleared her throat. This was her area more than theirs. “Ben, first let me extend my condolences on losing your team leader.”
He didn’t say a word but just nodded. When Darinda let out a snort, Ben sent her a look that saidkeep your mouth shut. At least, that was how Mac interpreted it.
“We have reason to believe Owens was smuggling drugs and…other things into Oahu,” Mac began. “We can prove that he did a drug exchange the other night, and we can prove how he brought the drugs into Oahu. We know from our investigation that your team members all knew about this.”
“I didn’t know a thing. I—"
