Page 6 of Renegade (The Santini Assassins #2)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AUSTIN

CAROLINE

A t seven o’clock that evening, Caroline entered the upscale eatery and breathed in the myriad of mouth-watering aromas. She loved Italian food so much, she could eat it every day. Fortunately for her, her amazing, beloved sister had invited her out for a birthday dinner.

She stopped at the hostess counter.

“Hello. Welcome to Santini Ristorante. I’m Tara. Do you have a res?”

“I’m meeting my sister. The res could be under her name, Sydney Austin. Maybe Austin.”

Tara eyed the computer, offered a sweet smile. “Your sister’s here.”

As she followed the hostess, Caroline spied a huge piece of lasagna, a cannoli dish, a large bowl of linguine with cream sauce, another bowl of pasta with red sauce and three large meatballs.

I’m so hungry, I could eat all of those.

She’d been slammed at work. Her boss had her doing a ton of busy work, none of it seemed remotely relevant.

Never one to push back, her thoughts had jumped to Grey Stone.

He would never allow himself to be tasked with such a ridiculous job.

She missed him… a lot. By the end of the day, she promised herself she’d speak up the next day and ask why she’d been demoted to paper-pusher.

The hostess stopped in front of a private dining room. Caroline peered inside to see her sister sitting alone at a table. There were other tables in the room, but they were empty.

“Why aren’t we eating in the main dining room?” Caroline asked.

Sydney jumped up, hurried over. “Thank you, Tara. I got this.”

Tara nodded. “Enjoy your dinner.”

Sydney clasped her hand, pulled her into the room. “Happy birthday, sis.”

A group of people jumped up from behind the black linen tables. “SURPRISE!”

Caroline stood there, taking in the beautiful site as her sister threw her arms into the air. “Happy thirty, baby sis!”

Laughing, Caroline hugged her. “I cannot believe you pulled this off. How’d you do it? We have no secrets!”

Her friends gathered ‘round offering hugs and wishing her a happy birthday.

A tall, incredibly well-built man walked in and almost crashed into the group. “Whoa.”

“Hi, Tank,” Sydney said. “This is the birthday girl, my sis, Caroline.”

He shot her an adorable smile. “Happy birthday. I’m Tank, one of the owners. Thanks for spending it at Santini’s. Let’s get everyone started on drinks.”

Two servers walked in, each carrying a tray. One housed flutes of champagne, the other flutes of sparkling water .

“Complimentary champagne,” Tank said, then eyed Caroline. “And sparkling water.”

Sydney’s cheeks flushed and her over-the-top grin had Caroline biting back a laugh. Her sister loved men, but her reaction to this one was hilarious.

“Easy,” Caroline whispered. “You’re like a dog in heat.”

Sydney made a face, then turned toward Tank. “Can we move the tables together, please?”

The servers helped him push the tables together to create one long one. Caroline was placed in the center and her friends jockeyed to sit close to her. After the flutes were passed around, Tank explained that several entrée platters were being made in honor of the birthday girl.

“I told him all your favorite dishes,” Sydney said, still beaming.

“Your dinner salads will be out shortly,” Tank said before he left.

“A speech from the birthday girl,” her long-time friend, Jennifer Leigh, called out.

Caroline raised her glass. “I’m the birthday girl, but you’re the killer friends who showed up to celebrate with me. Bottoms up!”

She tapped the flute against her sister’s, then clinked as many other friends as she could reach. With a wink to her sister, she tossed back the sparkling water.

“Thank you all for being here,” Caroline said. “I cannot believe Sydney pulled this off.”

“She almost said something to you,” said one of her friends.

“But I caught myself,” Sydney admitted before sipping the champagne. “How’d I do?”

“You did great,” Caroline said with a smile. “Thank you.”

Three waitstaff entered the private salon with trays of salads, followed closely by Tank who helped serve. Caroline watched her sister with keen interest. Like earlier, Sydney’s cheeks pinked, her gaze anchored on the machine of a man standing feet away.

When finished, Tank asked Sydney, “Everything okay?”

Sydney didn’t answer him. Caroline stared at her sister who looked like she’d fallen under some crazy-ass spell.

“Everything is perfect,” Caroline replied. “Tank, right?”

“You got it.”

“Got big birthday plans?” he asked her.

“We’re going clubbing,” blurted Sydney. “Lost Souls. Ever heard of it?”

Caroline shifted toward her. “We are?”

“Sure!” Sydney hadn’t stopped staring at him. “You should stop by, Tank. It’s a fun time. Are you into dressing up?”

Tank chuffed out a laugh. “No.”

“That’s okay,” Sydney replied. “Costumes are optional.”

He shot her a smile.

After Tank left, Sydney murmured, “Ohmygod.”

“Handsome, huh?”

“He’s spectacular!”

Caroline laughed before forking crisp romaine lettuce and a robust cherry tomato into her mouth, appreciating the crunch of the fresh vegetables. Then, she leaned close to her sister and whispered, “Seriously, Syd, are you in heat?”

Sydney laughed. “God, I think I am. The restaurant is owned by the Santini family. Ever heard of ‘em?”

After swallowing the mouthful of salad, Caroline answered, “No. Should I?”

“Mafia,” whispered Sydney. “Supposedly, they went straight.” She shrugged. “I’m kinda hoping not.”

Not wanting to ignore her friends, Caroline shifted toward Kevin, seated across from her.

Being home made her happy. She’d been cut off from everyone and the isolation was starting to take its toll.

Though she’d made some work friends, her job required her to be vigilant about her safety, and about the information she collected.

Though she vetted her informants as best she could, she knew that no one could be trusted.

The salads were consumed while the conversations continued.

When they finished, the attentive waitstaff returned with the platters.

A large lasagna, a huge plate of spaghetti with homemade tomato sauce and several giant meatballs.

There was a large bowl of manicotti stuffed with ricotta.

So much delicious-looking food, Caroline had to sample everything.

“Ohmygod, this is the best lasagna I have ever eaten,” Caroline said with her mouth chock full.

“How’s your boy toy?” Kevin, asked.

“History,” Caroline replied.

Sydney whipped her head toward her sister. “Whaaa? What happened?”

“Not the right fit,” she replied, and her friends started laughing.

“Too big or too small?” one of them asked.

Caroline laughed. “I took a chance, but I’m back to being a look-no-touch kinda girl.”

“Booooo,” Kevin said. “You can’t stop just because the first one doesn’t work out. Be bold, woman. Live life on the edge.”

If her friends knew what she really did for a living, they would not be instructing her to live life on the edge. She wasn’t sure how much more “on the edge” she needed to be.

Just then, Tank returned with a man in tow.

Ohmygod, ohmygod… it’s him.

It was Grey Stone, in the flesh. Not in a work meeting across a conference room table. Not on a video chat, thousands of miles away. And definitely not on the other end of a call while he was running for his life, and she was expected to bail him out.

“Ohmygod,” she murmured.

Her mind blanked. All she could do was stare at the granite block of male perfection .

“Excuse me,” Tank called out, his booming voice quieting the room in seconds.

“Whoa.” Sydney grabbed Caroline’s thigh and squeezed. “There are two of them,” she whispered.

“Shut up,” Caroline bit out.

“This is our GM, Greystone. He’s going to be taking over?—”

“Are you leaving?” Sydney blurted.

“I gotta take off, but you’re in good hands with Greystone.”

Caroline had stopped breathing. She was frozen on the spot, her mouth stuffed with food, her ability to chew halted.

She couldn’t look away, couldn’t do anything but gawk and gawk and gawk, soaking up all the stunning male hotness.

It had been months since she’d seen him.

His hair had grown longer, the blond highlights playing off his beautiful olive skin, and sculpted face.

His bearded, chiseled jawline and cheekbones were to die for, but it was the intensity in his deep-blue eyes that had immobilized her.

He was even bigger than she remembered. Broader, with shoulders that went on and on, with guns for arms that pressed against his black suit jacket.

Definitely not the jeans and T-shirts she’d usually see him in.

These duds were designer all the way. He looked so good she wanted to jump in his arms and ride him ‘til sunrise.

Both men were wearing black shirts, a black jacket with a pocket square, and black pants. Smoking-hot didn’t do Grey justice. He was an Adonis, standing there at six-three looking all relaxed and sexier than any human should.

Little yellow stars floated into her peripheral, and she realized she was about to pass out. Determined to remain vertical, she sucked in a slow, lung-filling breath.

“Hey,” Grey said to the group, his baritone voice rumbling through her chest.

So sexy.

“Greystone, this is Sydney,” Tank said. “She’s the organizer.”

Why is Tank calling him by his full name ?

Grey tossed her sister a nod.

“And the birthday girl sitting next to her is?—”

Grey shifted his attention to her and surprise flashed in his eyes. “Austin,” he said, their gazes drilling into each other.

Silence.

Deafening silence while her heart pounded out a frenetic rhythm that echoed in her ears.

Then, reality crashed into her fantasy. Grey Stone was back, working at a restaurant.

He hadn’t contacted her, he hadn’t checked to see how her life was going.

Even if she’d been out of the country, there were ways to get a message to someone, especially if you’re on the inside.

And he was definitely—definitely—on the inside.