When Danny told Jack that his ex-wife's current husband and Grace's stepfather, Stan Edwards, was a wealthy businessman, Jack hadn't thought much of it—until he saw where they lived.
The moment their car passed through the gates, Jack was met with the sight of two marble lions flanking the driveway. Not the Chinese kind with round heads and embroidered balls underfoot—these had a distinctly classical Greek style.
On either side of the driveway were perfectly manicured lawns that, together, easily spanned the size of three or four basketball courts. At one corner sat a two-meter-high marble fountain.
The house itself was a modern-style steel-frame villa, and the garage alone was almost the size of a typical single-story home.
"Rachel, do you have live-in staff?" Jack asked, his eyes fixed on the front door, which was slightly ajar—something about it felt off.
"No. I locked up before I left," said Rachel, seated in the front passenger seat. She'd clearly noticed it too.
Danny, squeezed into the backseat with Grace in the cramped rear of the two-door Camaro, leaned forward and took one look. His face tightened. He immediately dialed 911.
"911, what's your emergency?" came the calm voice of the dispatcher.
"This is Detective Danny Williams, badge number 7576. I need two units dispatched to 4347 Kulio'o Summer Street. We may have an in-progress burglary."
"Units en route."
"Thanks."
Danny hung up. Jack opened the door and stepped out, resting one hand on the pistol holstered at his back as he cautiously scanned the house.
"Danny, you should have Rachel drive Grace somewhere safe—go take a spin around the block."
Danny kissed Grace on the forehead. "Monkey, you and Mom go for a little drive, just five minutes tops. You'll see me again before you can even finish saying, 'I love you, Danno,' okay?"
The little girl blinked her big eyes, then nodded obediently.
After awkwardly climbing out of the cramped backseat, Danny moved aside to let Rachel slide into the driver's seat. She backed the car out and drove away.
Jack had only brought his SIG Sauer P320-XTen with him on this vacation, and even that had taken extra steps to clear with airport security. But now, the weapon's presence was proving to be extremely handy.
He and Danny entered the house, clearing it room by room with practiced caution. The place had been thoroughly ransacked but was now empty. Once secure, they stepped back outside to debrief the arriving HPD officers.
Danny's expression was dark. Part of it was the obvious threat implied by Grace's bedroom being turned upside down. But Jack could tell there was more to it.
He knew exactly what Danny was feeling. Any man would've felt the same after seeing his daughter and ex-wife's lives photographed and scattered throughout a house that now felt like someone else's.
"All the valuables in the master bedroom are still here—jewelry, luxury watches—but the search patterns are obvious. Whoever broke in was looking for something specific."
Jack said this to Danny, but also loud enough for Rachel, now standing at the door in stunned silence, to hear.
"So… why don't you go inside and pack up some of Grace's and your things?" Danny asked pointedly.
Rachel looked between the police tape and her ex-husband, mouth slightly open. "You mean…"
"Until Jack and I figure out what's going on, I think it's best if you and Grace spend a few nights in a hotel," Danny said.
"I already contacted Stan," Rachel responded instinctively. "He's on a flight back now—should be landing in less than an hour. Once he's home, we'll talk it through."
She was halfway into a full rejection when Danny suddenly turned very serious.
"You have two options: either you and my daughter stay at the Hilton for a few days, or she stays with me—her real father, the man who loves her more than anything in the world."
Rachel looked at him like she was seeing a stranger. Though he'd once been her husband, he now felt like someone else entirely. After a moment's silence, she nodded. "I'll go pack some clothes."
As she walked inside, Danny exhaled and said, "I'd bet my last tie this has something to do with Stan."
"People still wear ties in Hawaii?" Jack asked, glancing at his watch.
"Rachel said Stan Edwards should be landing in an hour," he continued. "Think you can find out what flight he's on? Maybe I can give your ex-wife's new husband a proper airport welcome."
Danny pulled out his phone. "I'll have Kono check—she's a pro at this stuff."
Ten minutes later, the silver Camaro was flying down the freeway toward Honolulu International Airport. Danny was still ranting in the passenger seat.
"I feel terrible. Honestly, I haven't even processed what just happened. That whole thing probably shaved five years off my life."
"No, you're doing great," Jack said, patting his shoulder and casting a quick healing spell. The diagnostic effect told him Danny was built like a tank—nothing like a man in his forties. The guy could easily hit the beach and pick up bikini girls with no worries about physical performance.
But Jack noticed how pale Danny still looked and tried to steer him back on track. "You should've gone with Rachel and Grace to the hotel. I told you I've got this. Your current expression is starting to worry me."
Danny furrowed his brow and glanced at him. "What do you mean? I'm fine. You're a cop too, right? FBI agents are still cops. So tell me—do you think Stan's involved in what happened today?"
"I'm with you on that," Jack admitted. "But as an FBI psychological profiler—Danny, my dear 'uncle'…"
He paused, feeling slightly awkward. American names were notoriously repetitive. He already had a Reacher, and now there were two Dannys—Danny Williams here in Hawaii, and Danny Reagan back in New York.
"…As a not-quite-senior profiler, I'd say your current expression tells me you're not heading to the airport to pick someone up. You're heading there to punch someone in the face."
"Damn right I am!" Danny snapped. "My daughter sleeps in that house. Her room got torn apart like it was some cheap motel. If I find out Stan had anything to do with this, I'm going to 'encourage' him to tell me everything he knows."
Jack sighed. "And yet you're also a cop. You've got a badge and a sidearm on you. You could ruin everything."
He leaned in. "I know the governor's granted Five-O a lot of leeway. But if this turns into a courtroom scandal, you could lose more than your job—you could lose something much more important."
"Think about Grace. You moved across the country from New Jersey to Hawaii for her. Are you willing to risk losing her again? Trust me, don't make this any more complicated than it already is."
That landed squarely on target. Danny visibly deflated, like a balloon with the air punched out of it.
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