Disclaimer: I do not own Hawaii 5-0. I am glad they let us borrow it for fanfiction.

Well readers…..shall we take a closer look at our bad guys? Time to learn more about the enemy.

Chapter 14

Chin stuck his head into Danny's office a few moments later.

"Ready for a closer look at our suspects?" he asked Danny and Jenna. They got up and followed him out to the smart table where Kono waited. The cousins had been doing the deeper background checks on the Alverez brothers.

"So, have we got a good reason to believe these two are drug runners?" Danny asked point blank.

"It doesn't look like it on the surface," Kono replied. She touched the table and with a graceful sweep of her arm, sent a photo of a man to the overhead screen. The head shot was of a dark haired man with a predatory look in his dark eyes. "Meet Bernardo Alverez, born Sept. 25, 1970 in Bogota Colombia. His father Roberto was a successful lawyer and his mother Constance came from a wealthy coffee family. Bernardo came to the US in 1988 to attend Harvard and he stayed after his undergraduate studies to attend Harvard Law. After graduation and passing the bar, he was hired by the firm of Drengler and Hoskins where he practiced corporate law for two years. Then he suddenly gave notice and left the firm to return to Colombia, citing family matters as a reason. But at the time he left, his parents had both been dead for three years."

Chin went next as he repeated Kono's gesture and added a second head shot next to Bernardo. A younger, more handsome man's smiling face looked back at them. Javier appeared more open and relaxed than Bernardo.

"Javier was born on June 12, 1973. He followed his brother and came to the US for his college education as well. He chose an Ivy League school also, attending Brown University in 1991 and graduated with a business degree four years later. Unlike Bernardo, Javier returned to Colombia immediately after graduation and went to work for his grandparents, handling the business end of their coffee business. Just over six months ago he and Bernardo came to Oahu and opened B & J's Refined Palate; specialty coffees, teas and wines," Chin recited, bringing everyone up to speed.

"They look very legit on the surface but presently Bernardo is in Colombia, supposedly on a buying trip," Kono added. "However, he spent some time visiting a cousin who happens to be suspected by the Feds of running the fourth largest cocaine cartel in Colombia."

"Santos Arantes," Jenna put in, her eyes wide and nodding in confirmation.

"Correct," Kono confirmed. "Did you get that information too?"

"One of my sources hinted that there might be a connection, but wouldn't confirm it. If he's really their cousin then they have some heavy duty clout behind them," Jenna said seriously.

"And two jokers like this show up in Hawaii and set up a business that imports products from all over the world and we are supposed to think they are clean? Just how convenient a cover is this?" Danny snorted. "Do we have anything that shows that cocaine is one of the items they are bringing into Hawaii?"

"Not at the moment," Chin admitted. "But we have only started digging."

"We need time to make the connections Danny. These two are smart and they know how to cover what they are doing," Kono pointed out.

"Time is the one thing we don't have a lot of. Under normal circumstances we would have time to make an airtight case but if Kamekona is right, these guys want Steve dead now," Danny answered grimly. "The hospital won't keep him there forever and we still don't have the shooter's name."

"We hear you brah…but you know what Steve said, this has to be a solid arrest. He won't be safe anyway if the case gets tossed because we didn't connect all the dots. It takes time or luck to make a solid drug arrest," Chin argued.

"Excuse me for asking but why are they so sure that killing Steve will disband 5-0?" Jenna broke in. "That's rather short sighted isn't it? There are still the three of you." She scanned the faces of the three people she had come to respect in a short period of time. There was no doubt in her mind that they would carry on in Steve's absence and do their job well.

"Oh yea, the three of us…..a haole from Jersey, a rookie cop and a disgraced, possibly crooked cop," Chin said grimly. "The Governor is not likely to keep 5-0 intact without Steve. We all know he's the reason she formed this task force in the first place."

"Well then she is the short sighted one," Jenna commented. "Steve is good but he doesn't do it alone." Jenna had great respect for McGarrett's abilities but knew he relied on the others to make 5-0 work.

"Thanks for the support Jenna but Chin is right. We are good at what we do but Steve is the reason that Jameson set up this task force. I do not think that she would keep it together if something happens to Steve," Danny stated as the other two nodded. "So….it behooves us to keep the man alive."

"So do we put him in a safe house under protective custody until we nail these guys?" Jenna asked curiously.

The other three exchanged amused looks and Danny favored the CIA analyst with a level stare.

"Kaye, this is McGarrett we are talking about. How do you suggest we get Super SEAL to agree to hiding in a safe house?" he asked.

Jenna opened her mouth and then snapped it shut without saying a word. She smiled slightly in embarrassment. Taking a moment to think, she knew that Steve McGarrett would not go into hiding, it was not in the man's nature.

"Well if that is the case, then we are not letting the boss stay at his place alone, are we?" Kono spoke up determinedly. "We are putting some type of protection detail on him, right?"

"Of course we will," Danny said quickly, wanting to reassure Kono. "Like it or not, Superman does not go solo. He will have house guests. That leg of his will slow him down and make him vulnerable and if babysitting him will keep him safe, then that's what we do."

"I can't wait to see how Steve reacts to this if you actually use those terms to describe it to him," Chin chuckled.

"There are some things in life that Steven McGarrett does not get to make the call on," Danny said, gesturing sharply with his hands. "This is one of those things. We will protect him whether he likes it or not."

"I am willing to let you be the one to break it to him," Chin replied. Kono and Jenna laughed at the determined look that crossed Danny's face. It was clear that the Jersey native was not going to back down on this subject.

"My money's on Danny," Kono told her cousin.

"I think that I should see if I can get more on Santos Arantes. Perhaps some of my contacts can tell me if he is shipping his product to a new outlet," Jenna suggested quickly. "Maybe we can make that connection to the brothers and lock this up."

"Good," Danny approved. "I have a call in to the State Police's drug unit. Captain Hoapili was out of the office but they said he will get back to me as soon as possible. Chin, can you nudge Shave Ice a bit and see if he can give us a name of someone who might be dealing with these guys? Kono, dig into the employee records and financials of this "legit" business. Maybe we can catch a break and find someone who knows more than they let on. A list of where they import from might help too if we can get it," he instructed.

"I will give it a try," Kono agreed and headed back to her office. Jenna went back to the space Steve had set up for her to work in. Chin looked at Danny, his expression doubtful.

"I'll see if I can "nudge" Kamekona as you suggest but be aware that the big guy is scared," he told Danny.

"I understand but we need any advantage we can get. Tell him we will protect him as best we can but that this is not just about busting a drug runner….it's Steve's life," Danny said firmly.

"I will do my best," Chin promised and left.

End chapter.

Thanks for reading. Now it is time for them to chase down some leads. Hope you stay with me.