Page 79 of A Lethal Betrayal

His face hardened. “There’s no need to lie. I know Cass is otherwise engaged for the evening, and you don’t have friends here.”

“What the hell? Are you spying on me?” She tried for indignant, but the note of fear in her voice gave her away.

Ainsley moved swiftly and, suddenly, she was staring at a nine-millimeter semi-automatic. “I don’t have time for games. I did try to do this the easy way. Now we’ll do it the hard way.”

He seized her arm and dragged her into the hallway. Then he put an arm around her waist and pushed the gun into her ribs. “Place your purse so it hides my gun.”

She hesitated, but he pushed the barrel hard into her side. “Fine.” She adjusted her purse.

“Now we’re going to walk right out of here and get into the SUV. If you make a fuss or draw any attention to us, I will pull this trigger. Are we clear?”

His eyes said he wasn’t joking. He’d pull the trigger. Her throat had gone dry. She nodded.

“Good. Here we go. And McKenna, I truly am sorry it had to end this way.”

CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE

Dane sat in the rented SUV and stared through the window of the upscale restaurant where Cross was having dinner. As usual, the streets in downtown Oahu were crowded. He grunted into his comms. “I don’t think Cross is our guy.”

Koa grunted beside him. “I agree. He’s got too much to lose.”

Jace arrived at the table, smiling at Cross and his dinner companions, the base commander, and the head of Naval Base Pearl Harbor. Through the earbud, Dane could hear Jace acting as the waiter. “Here are your drinks, gentleman. Have you had a chance to look at the menu?” After a pause, “No problem, take your time.” Jace sailed away from the table again. His voice was low when he said, “I agree with Dane. Cross has spent the last twenty minutes trying to find anyone but himself to blame for this mess. He’s trying to share it with the Navy and asked what they’re all gonna do about it. Underneath his suave exterior, he’s sweatin’ it. Big time.”

“If it’s not Cross, then who is it?” Tac asked from his place at the bar.

“Let’s review what we know,” Cain directed.

Cass shifted on the bench at the bus stop down the street from the restaurant. “One, Cross has the connections to bring the drugs and weapons in. Two, he went to Princeton, and the title TigerKing works for him. Three…” She paused. “Is there a three?”

“He knew Casper and he knew Owens, but then again so did a lot of people,” Tac said. “Princeton also graduates a lot of people every year.”

“His office,” Dane said.

“What?” Koa grunted.

Dane adjusted his position to relieve the spasm in his back. “Cain, you said the connection to the container ships to do the drills was through Cross’s office. Did you mean Cross directly or his office?”

Cain was parked in another SUV down the block. “Huh. I ran it through Wainwright, who said it came from Cross’s office. One of his assistants called me to let me know we could practice that day.”

“Maybe call—"

“On it,” Cain replied. There was silence so Cain must have taken out his earbud.

“So, if it’s not Cross, then who are we left with? It’s got to be someone on base. Someone with access.” Dane stared across the street, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel in thought. “Someone who could have contact with Casper and Owens and have it not seem out of place.”

His mind wandered. What was Mac doing right now? Sleeping? Did it matter? She’d made herself crystal clear. He needed to let it go.

“Ainsley.” Cain’s voice came back online. “Neil Ainsley set up the training on the container ships.”

“Shit. He never even entered my mind,” Jace said.

Dane’s adrenaline kicked up in a rush. “That’s the whole point. He’s good at being in the background, keeps a low profile so no one notices him.” They were following the wrong person.

Cain added, “Wainwright said that no way could Cross arrange something like using the container ships. He’s not organized enough. Ainsley is the real power behind the power. He takes care of everything.”

“How’d you get him to open up to you like that?” Cass asked. “He’s a by-the-book kind of guy. Not like him to step outside the formality of the ranks.”

“He’s had a few drinks, and I told him the Admiral has us on special assignment. His help could be instrumental to our success. No one wants a pissed-off Admiral to know their name.”

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