Page 43 of Renegade (The Santini Assassins #2)

Moving carefully, he grabbed Haqazzii’s hand, checked his pulse.

Nothing.

“Confirmed,” he said to Caroline. “Haqazzii is down. Do not leave the room until I come back to get you.”

“Copy,” she replied.

He made his way down, but he wasn’t taking any chances, so he pulled a chair into the hallway and wedged it under the doorknob. Running down the hall, he breathed deep. Outside the control room, he knocked twice, then said, ‘The pink pig is flying over the moon.”

Nothing.

“Caroline, are you okay?”

“You messed up the code.”

“The pink pig is flying over—wait— the pink pig is flying to the moon. He’s flying to the moon.”

She flung open the door, threw her arms around him. “Nice work.” Then, she pressed the intercom button. “Greystone got him. Man down. I’m lifting the lockdown. We’re coming to get you.”

“I can bring Dakota upstairs,” Sin said. “He’s gonna need surgery.”

“Fuck, no,” Dakota said as the two men rose. “I hate surgery.”

“I’m sorry, Dakota,” Sin said. “I should never have brought my weapon?—”

The brothers left the room, and she and Greystone hurried out to meet them as they got off the elevator.

Sin had his arm around Dakota, but Dakota was walking without assistance. Both men were covered in blood.

Sin extended his hand to Caroline. “Nice job.” Then, he shook Greystone’s hand. “I fucked up. This is on me. Thanks for having our backs. ”

“Anytime,” Greystone said. “I’m gonna need you to help me get him down.”

“Let’s get Dakota into the medical wing, so I can call Dr. Ferguson,” Sin said.

“Make the calls,” Greystone said, taking Dakota.

“Tell Providence I’m fine,” Dakota said to his brother.

After Greystone and Caroline helped Dakota to the medical wing, he sat on the bed and removed Sin’s blood-soaked shirt from his shoulder.

Caroline stacked two pillows on the gurney. “Why don’t you lie down?”

“Can you smuggle me outta here?” Dakota asked them.

“No prob,” Greystone replied. “Where you wanna go?”

Caroline bit back a smile.

“I’m not going anywhere, am I?” Dakota asked.

“Not until the doc removes your souvenir,” Greystone replied.

“Where was he?” Dakota asked.

“Kitchen ceiling.”

Dakota’s eyes grew large. “No fucking way.”

“Not the first time I found a target hiding there.”

“How’d you get shot?” Caroline asked Dakota.

“We went in to question him and removed the cuffs. He sat on the floor, answered our questions, but he was spewing gibberish. When Sin went to shackle him, he grabbed his weapon, went to shoot him. I shouted to Sin and Haqazzii shot me. Then, he took off. We got lucky. He coulda killed us both.”

“You were smart to lockdown the building,” Caroline added.

“We fucked up,” Dakota murmured.

“We got you,” Greystone replied.

“We’re grateful you came back.”

“I never shoulda left,” Greystone bit out. “Never. ”

Fifteen minutes later, Dakota’s wife, Providence, and Sin’s wife, Evangeline, hurried into the medical wing. Providence kissed her husband, sat next to him on the bed, and clasped his hand. Deep lines etched her eyes, the worry on her face front and center.

Evangeline stood at the foot of the hospital bed, tossed him a nod.

After Dakota made the introductions, Providence said, “Let me at him. That son of a bitch won’t last five minutes.”

“Babe, Greystone and Caroline took him out,” Dakota explained.

“Evan and I are grateful.” Tears filled Providence’s eyes.

Dakota smiled. “I had no idea you loved me this much.”

The group laughed.

With a relieved smile on her face, Providence said, “I’m glad you haven’t lost your sense of humor, baby.”

“We gotta bring the body down and get him out,” Greystone said, getting them back on point.

“I’ll help you,” Sin said as his phone binged with an incoming text. “The surgeon and her nurse are here.” Sin strode out to retrieve them.

“Austin, I’m headin’ to the crematorium,” Greystone said. “You in?”

“Of course.” She regarded Dakota. “I’m sorry you got hit.”

“No apology necessary,” Dakota replied. “Sin and I messed up.”

Sin returned, introduced Dr. Joyce Ferguson and her nurse.

Sin regarded his twin. “You got this.”

Dakota acknowledged him with a nod. “Greystone, Caroline, thanks for the rescue.”

Greystone, Caroline, and Sin took off, stopping by the supply closet for a body bag. Greystone thought it morbid they’d have those here, but he said nothing as they continued on.

In the kitchen, Caroline readied the bag while the men brought Haqazzii’s bullet-ridden body down. Before Greystone zipped the bag, he snapped a few pictures.

“Time to poke the bear,” he said.

“Where’s the crematorium?” Caroline asked.

Sin gave her the address. “I’ll let CK know you’re on your way.”

“Password is Pied Piper, yeah?” Greystone confirmed.

Sin nodded. “Stay.”

“No shit,” Greystone replied. “Do I pay him?”

“He gets paid, but tip him.” Sin handed Greystone several twenties.

“We’ll text the team,” Caroline said.

The men moved the body bag into Greystone’s SUV. Moments later, he and Caroline were driving through the quiet neighborhood and onto the main road.

“How are you doing?” Caroline asked.

He glanced over at her. Even after what he’d just been through, having her by his side grounded him. Now that he’d fallen in love with her, her presence lifted him and gave him hope.

“I’ve been chasin’ monsters for so long, it’s just one less in a world filled with ‘em. I took his life before he took hundreds. We can chase evil forever and never get ‘em all.”

She clasped his hand, but said nothing.

He opened the sunroof, let the chilly air wash over him. “If you’re cold, turn on the heater.”

“The cold air feels good,” she replied.

They drove to Franconia, stopped at the gated entrance, pressed the buzzer.

“I’m here,” said a raspy voice.

“Pied Piper,” Greystone said.

“Park out back.”

The gate opened. He drove in, parked near the back entrance. An older man walked outside pushing a gurney. They transferred the body and CK rolled it inside.

“Unzip the bag,” CK instructed.

“You’re standin’ right there,” Greystone said.

“Yeah, so I am, but this ain’t my first rodeo, kid. Sometimes they ain’t dead and all hell breaks out.”

Greystone unzipped the bag, stared down at Haqazzii’s lifeless face. He felt no joy in taking this man’s life. He felt no pain either. Not anymore. He’d come to terms with his part in these missions. If he hadn’t, he would’ve lost his mind years ago.

“Dead,” Greystone said.

“Help me,” CK said as he opened the metal door to the incinerator.

Out of the corner of his eye, Caroline took a few steps back. He got that. He didn’t much like standin’ so close to being burned alive either.

Together, he and CK moved the body to the cement slab. “Are his pockets empty? Check him for jewelry.”

Greystone checked, found nothing. “He’s good.”

“No, man, he’s not good,” CK grumbled, his gruff voice slicing through the air. “No one’s good who ends up here with me.”

Greystone stood beside Caroline as Haqazzii vanished inside the crematorium. When the heavy metal door closed, pain hit him in the chest. Death was final, but this… this was beyond intense. A shudder ripped through him and he clasped her hand.

“Take off or hang.” CK gestured toward the small waiting area in the entryway. “I’ll be in my office.”

“How long?” Caroline asked.

“A few hours,” CK replied.

Greystone shoved the tip into CK’s hand. “We’re stickin’ around. ”

After CK retreated into his office, he and Caroline moved to the waiting room.

“I’m sending a group text to the team,” she said.

Seconds later, his phone binged with an incoming text.

Effective immediately all shifts are canceled starting with Addison and Hawk

Addison replied.

Just got here. D in surgery

As the team acknowledged her text, fury surged through him.

“I should never have left,” he bit out. “This is on me.”

Caroline placed her hand on his back. “How long are you going to beat yourself up over this?”

His gaze found hers. “How is this not my fault?”

“We’re part of a team, Grey.”

“I work alone.”

“No, when you did missions, you had me,” she murmured. “I wasn’t physically with you, but there were plenty of times I bailed your ass out. It’s not gonna help if you shoulder this. Everyone here is trained. Those two are ALPHA BLACK OPS. They made a mistake. We learn from it and we move on.”

He pulled her close. She wrapped her arms around him, hugged him hard.

“We’re doing the best we can.” She peered into his eyes, kissed his cheek. “If anything, you should be acting all cocky. You saved our asses, big time.” She shot him a smarmy smile.

He kissed her once, broke away. “Thanks.”

His phone rang. It was Teddy. Greystone answered, put the phone to his ear. “Go.”

“Am I on speaker?”

“No. ”

“I’m at the Black site,” Teddy said. “I’m in one of the extremist chat rooms on the dark web. Someone posted a message to us. It says, ‘We know you have him. This is bigger than any 1 person. He won’t talk and he’s prepared to die a noble death.’”

“I’ll upload a pic of the body when we leave here,” Greystone said. “That’ll piss ‘em off.”

“The software program is having trouble matching JL’s employees with the mug shots. It failed the first run. I made changes and I’m running it again.”

“Nice work.”

“How long are you there?”

“Coupla hours,” Greystone replied.

“I’ll see you when you get back.”

Greystone killed the call, told Caroline about the posted message in the private chat group.

“Later, I’m postin’ his pic,” he told her.

“That’ll get them going.”

“That’s what I’m hopin’ for.”

“Aren’t you worried that’ll trigger them to blow up the buildings before the thirty-first?”

Grey raked his hands through his hair. “Worried? No. I’m angry as hell that we’ve got one dead terrorist and no more goddamn information than we had before we took him.”

When Greystone got angry enough, Greystone got answers. He was more than ready to take this attack to the next level.

Bring it on, motherfuckers. Bring it on.