Page 13 of Renegade (The Santini Assassins #2)

GREYSTONE’S SURPRISE

GREYSTONE

G reystone hated leaving Caroline. She deserved to know the truth, but when it came to his missions, he kept that information on lockdown. No exceptions.

And that meant Bella too.

Hooking up with her was better than anything his imagination had conjured up on those lonely nights in Kar-fucking-akistan.

So much better .

He grunted out his frustration as Teddy accelerated on the GW Parkway, then made a call.

“We’ll be there in ten,” Teddy said, then hung up.

“What the hell was so damn important you had to pull me?” Greystone asked.

Teddy shot him a sheepish smile. “I’m sorry, brother. And the crazy thing is that I did the same thing to Lulu when he was with Simone.”

“It’s a bad habit you gotta break,” Greystone growled .

“I’m not looking to do that, idiot. Shit happens and I react. What did you expect me to do? Ignore the call? Tell the IO no?”

“Why couldn’t we meet up with the asset tomorrow?”

“She’s flying to an undisclosed location because she’s afraid Haqazzii’s gonna gun her down.”

Teddy had called it right. They didn’t have a choice.

“You did good.” Greystone pulled out the hair tie, shoved it into his suit pocket. “Sorry I blew up.”

“It’s all good.”

“Which Haqazzii?”

“She’s been working with an IO, and says she knows who the leader is.” After a beat, Teddy said, “Just make it up to Caroline.”

“She didn’t know it was me.”

“So, what’s the problem?” Teddy asked. “If she didn’t know it was you—and I’m not sure how you pulled that off—then she’s not angry with you for leaving.”

Greystone grew silent. Did she know it was him?

She was smart. Had he said too much? Had he somehow given himself away?

He had no fucking idea. She was already angry with him for ghosting.

Walking out on her birthday celebration would only make things worse.

He’d figure something out. But for the next several hours, he needed to focus up.

“Where are we going?” he asked.

“San Diego.”

“I’ve got a meeting tomorrow at the Black Site.”

“Might be running late. What time?”

“Eleven.”

“Text Dakota. If you make it there by one-thirty, it’ll be a win.”

Greystone sent Dakota a text.

Heading to CA. Back by thirteen-thirty, fourteen-hundred, lates t

To his surprise, Dakota replied.

We’ll start when you get here. Safe travels

“Don’t they sleep?” Greystone asked Teddy.

“Probably not. The Day of Destruction is like nothing they’ve had to deal with before.”

“No pressure there,” Greystone muttered.

“You got this.”

“You think so?”

“I read your file. You’re a total badass. I’ve never been so proud to know anyone in my life.”

“Appreciate that.”

“Seriously, and I thought I had a cool career.”

“Tell me about it.”

Teddy pulled into Reagan Airport, drove to the parking lot for charter flights. “We’ve got five hours. Maybe it’s time we got caught up on the past sixteen years.”

Teddy was right. He’d been flying solo for so long, it felt strange to be able to connect with someone he’d once been close to.

After parking, Teddy pulled out two duffle bags from the back, handed one to Greystone.

“What’s this?”

“Protection,” Teddy replied. “I don’t trust anyone associated with the Haqazzii terror cell, no matter what they say.”

Greystone slapped him on the back. “Neither do I, brother.”

They boarded the private jet and, within minutes, the pilots were taxiing to the runway. Moments later, they were airborne, westbound for California.

The flight flew by because Teddy wanted to share his life, and Greystone was happy to listen. From Teddy’s struggles with reading and the teacher who claimed he’d never learn, to the family members who worked to ensure he excelled at it .

The more Teddy talked, the more Greystone learned about the family he’d deserted. When finished, Teddy asked about him. And in true form, Greystone said, “I’ll save that for the flight home.”

He opened the bag, pulled out the Kevlar vest. After removing his suit jacket, he pulled on the armor, then went digging for weapons. There were three.

“Not takin’ any chances?”

“Hell, no,” Teddy replied as he pulled on the double holster harness. “We’re meeting her at a safe house. The IO said the team’s expecting us.”

The plane touched down in San Diego. The men deplaned and picked up the rental car. It was oh-six-hundred hours back home, but the three-hour time difference put them at oh-three-hundred.

“Do you want to sync with local time?” Teddy asked.

“No.”

Twenty-minutes later, Greystone drove down a quiet street filled with older, single-level homes. The safe house was located at the end of a dead-end street, but instead of parking out front, he drove up the street, parked at the curb near the intersection, and cut the engine.

In silence, the men got out, walked down the street.

There was one car in the driveway, another in the carport. The porch light was off, but a light shone in the front room, though the blinds were closed.

Teddy tapped on the front door. No response. He rang the doorbell.

A man answered. “Name.”

Greystone recognized him. Cal was a CIA protective agent from the Global Response staff. Good guy, easy to work with.

“Iron Whisper,” Teddy said.

Once inside, Cal shut and bolted the front door.

Greystone extended his hand. “It’s been a minute. ”

Cal shook his hand. “How have you been?”

“Runnin’ and gunnin’,” replied Greystone. “You?”

“Taking care of business, keeping a low profile,” Cal replied.

A female agent rose from the sofa and acknowledged them.

“Where’s the asset?” Greystone asked.

“In the bedroom. Wait here.” She left, returning with a thin woman wearing a black shirt, black pants, and a long, knit sweater.

The asset offered a rueful smile. “Hello.”

“You’re doing a brave thing,” Greystone said.

“Thank you. They are only trying to do harm.” She shook her head. “I loved him—I still love him, but this is no way to live.” She unearthed a handful of photos from the pocket of her sweater. “These are all I have left of him, so I cannot give them to you.”

“Can we take pictures of them?” Greystone asked.

“Yes.” She led the way to the small, tidy kitchen, turned on the stove light, and set the three pictures on the counter.”

Both Greystone and Teddy snapped a few pics with their phones.

“My name can never be tied to this,” she said.

“It won’t,” Greystone assured her, “but I need you to identify yourself.”

She glanced at the female protection officer, who nodded. “I go by Sherry, but my given name is Farisha Al-Amir.”

“Confirm the name of your spouse,” Teddy said.

“Sajid Haqazzii. Second cousin in the Haqazzii family.”

“Who’s the current leader of the Haqazzii cell?” Greystone asked.

She pulled another photo from her pocket and showed them. “Muhammad Haqazzii. He’s the youngest son of Abdel.” She offered them the picture. “I don’t want this. You can take it.”

Greystone slid the photo into his pocket .

“Is there anything else you can tell us?” Teddy asked.

“I have seen much violence.” She shuddered. “These men are ruthless. I wish you luck.”

“We wish you a happy life,” Teddy replied.

Greystone thanked the officers before he and Teddy made their way to the front of the safe house.

BAM!

The back door banged open, someone shouted in Arabic.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Greystone and Teddy drew their weapons as they charged toward the kitchen. In a split-second, they took in the macabre scene, and opened fire.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Three men, cloaked in black, dropped to the floor.

Greystone kicked away their assault rifles while Teddy shut and bolted the back door.

Both agents and the asset were down. Greystone dropped beside Sherry, felt her carotid.

His heart broke for her. An innocent woman caught up in so much destruction, then mercilessly gunned down in cold blood.

Teddy knelt beside Cal. “Fuck, I don’t have a pulse.”

Greystone flicked his gaze to Cal. No, goddammit. He rushed over. “Check on her.”

Teddy hurried to the female agent while Greystone started doing CPR on Cal.

The female agent groaned. “Are they down?”

Greystone stopped doing compressions on Cal’s chest, pausing to breathe life into him. “C’mon, breathe for me.” He resumed CPR.

“Don’t give up on him,” said the female agent.

“Were you hit?” Teddy asked.

“One bullet flew past my ear,” she replied. “I was hit in the arm, but it doesn’t look bad.”

Greystone glanced over at her before pausing to breathe into Cal. Teddy grabbed a kitchen towel and held it against the wound on her forearm. She pulled out her phone, called for help, while Greystone eyed the bloodbath.

What the fuck just happened?

He continued working on Cal until the female agent said, “He’s gone.”

Greystone pounded on Cal’s chest. “C’mon, man. Fight. Fight .”

Teddy knelt next to him. “I’ll try.”

Greystone knew it was futile. Cal was gone, but he moved away so Teddy could continue CPR. After he pulled off the monsters’ ski masks, snapped pics of them, he knelt beside Sherry. Two gunshots had pierced her chest. With gentle fingers, he closed her eyes, said a silent prayer before standing.

“So close to freedom,” Greystone muttered.

“The police are on their way,” the agent said. “You should go or you’ll be here for hours.”

“We’re not leaving you,” Greystone said.

“Help me up,” the agent insisted.

After he assisted her onto a kitchen chair, he examined her wound. “You’ll be okay, but we’re staying.”

“As the presiding officer, I’m ordering you to leave,” she said. “We didn’t know all the details of this job, only that it’s big. If you stay, your covers will be blown.”

“We’re taking the photos.” Greystone reached into Sherry’s sweater pocket and removed the pictures. “We’ll clear the area before we leave.”

The agent opened a kitchen cabinet and retrieved her gun. “I should never have let my guard down.”