Page 64 of Renegade (The Santini Assassins #2)

Her adorable smile made him smile as he made his way toward the back of the majestic church that could hold well over a thousand guests.

As he swept his gaze over the already-seated crowd, he guesstimated five hundred, with more filing in.

He would want a smaller, more intimate gathering, but they hadn’t had a second to talk wedding plans, hadn’t even set a date.

Now that they were back in the DMV, that was about to change.

Dakota and Providence entered the church, and Greystone stopped to say hello.

“Any success in Boston?” Dakota asked.

“Nothing.” Agitation flowed through him, but he tamped it down.

Not today. Today is F for Fun.

“I’m spendin’ the next two weeks flying with the Navy,” Greystone explained.

“We don’t like sharing you,” Dakota said, “but working with you part-time is better than not at all. I’ve got a mission I want to run by you. You’re my first choice.”

“No more shop talk, honey.” Providence tugged her husband away. “You can chase Greystone down in two weeks.”

Dakota extended his hand, Greystone shook it. “My wife is right.”

As Dakota and Providence made their way toward the pews, Greystone had every confidence Dakota would corner him at the reception to talk shop. This band of brothers lived and breathed the missions, loved hunting down the monsters.

Greystone did too.

And he loved that he had a pack to run with. Reminded him of his SEAL days when they moved as a cohesive and highly-efficient unit.

He found his way to the salon, made his way over to his brothers. Today was a good day. A day to celebrate. He was home, he was back with his family, and he was engaged to the love of his life.

Life is good. Damn good.

One of the male assistants hurried over. “Mr. Santini, are you ready to escort your grandmother?”

“Absolutely.”

He led Greystone out of the salon and over to the bridesmaid’s salon.

Knock-knock.

Someone opened the door. “Is it time?” the woman asked, her gaze jumping from the male assistant to Greystone. Her cheeks flamed red, and she shot him a grin. “Hello, handsome.”

“Denise,” said the assistant, “Mr. Santini is ready to walk his grandmother down the aisle.”

She stared at Greystone. “Which Santini are you?”

“The evil one,” Greystone said.

“Ohgod,” she murmured. “I’ll get her.” She shut the door.

Seconds later, Elsa exited, wearing a full-length black dress.

“You look beautiful, G-ma.”

“Simone’s team fussed over my makeup and hair,” Elsa said with a smile. “Simone said I look very zhuzhy .” She shrugged. “Whatever that means.”

Laughing with his beloved grandmother felt so damn good.

To Greystone’s surprise, the female assistant rushed out, shut the salon door behind her. “I can walk them to their seats.” She eyed Greystone. “I’m Denise, hi.”

“No, Denise, you’re covering the salon,” said the male assistant. “I’ll take them.”

Greystone offered his arm to his grandmother. “Ciao, Elsa. è un onore accompagnarti. It’s an honor to escort you.”

Her face erupted in a smile. “L'onore è mio, nipote. The honor is mine, grandson.”

“Wow, you’re sexy,” Denise said. “We’ll talk soon.”

“I’m engaged,” Greystone said .

“So?” Denise said grinning up at him. “You’re not married yet.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Santini,” said the male attendant. “Denise, go back inside.”

Her upper lip curled into a snarl before she shut the door in her coworker’s face.

Elsa hitched an eyebrow. “Non mi piace lei. I don’t like her.”

As they approached the nave, Greystone said, “Il mio cuore appartiene a te e alla mia Caroline. My heart belongs to you and to my Caroline.”

She patted his arm. “Sei un bravo ragazzo. You’re a good boy, Greystone.”

“I’m a lot of things… good isn’t one of them.”

Walking at a snail’s pace, he guided Elsa down the long aisle, stopping at Caroline’s pew. She’d been reading the program. When her gaze found his, the familiar hit of adrenaline shot through him, landing in his heart.

He loved her with his entire being.

With a smile, Caroline rose. He passed Elsa to her. Elsa kissed each of Caroline’s cheeks. “I don’t like Denise.”

“Who?” Caroline asked.

“She’s one of the assistants. She made a play for Greystone.”

Caroline slid her gaze to him, and winked. “Good for her.”

Elsa’s eyebrows crowded her wrinkled forehead. “I don’t like that one bit.”

“Grey’s not interested.”

Elsa’s gaze stilled on Caroline, then she broke into a smile. “I love this woman.”

Greystone kissed each of his grandmother’s cheeks, then kissed Caroline. “Vi amo entrambi.”

“We love you too,” Caroline replied. “Right, Elsa?”

“Absolutely.”

Greystone walked to the back of the church where the head planner was lining up the wedding party. As he took his place in the front of the line, his phone binged with an incoming text.

He pulled it out of his pocket, glanced at the screen as he silenced the device.

You, your brother, and your entire team will all die. I promise you that

Greystone released a growl as Denise whizzed by. She spun around and stared at him. “I feel the exact same way.”

Greystone turned toward Teddy and showed him his phone. Teddy’s eyes turned black as coal and a smile ghosted across his face.

“Game on,” he said to Greystone.

“Are you up for this?”

“I’ve been preparing for this mission my whole life.”

“I got your six,” Greystone said.

The music changed, Greystone turned back around. He waited as Luciano appeared from a side entrance, and took his position at the altar. Then, Greystone began the long walk down the cathedral aisle.

A walk that took him sixteen long years to make, but he was where he needed to be with a grateful heart and a renewed sense of hope.

Family meant everything to him.

As he passed Caroline and his grandmother, he acknowledged them with a nod. The most influential woman of his childhood alongside the love of his life, his Bella. The one woman he could count on to have his back time and time again.

I’m a lucky man.

As Greystone took his place beside Luciano, Luciano extended his hand. That handshake was Lulu’s way of officially welcoming him back into the fold.

“Ti amo, fratello,” Luciano said.

“I love you too,” Greystone replied .

When he shifted his gaze to Caroline, beauty, confidence, and love shone in her eyes. The love he felt for her wasn’t something he could put into words. It had seeped into his soul and had become the foundation for which they’d build a life together.

As his brothers filed into place, they acknowledged him with a kiss on each cheek. That wasn’t just the Italian way, that was the Santini way.

At the end of the day, he was a lot of things. Fiancé, brother, grandson, naval aviator, ALPHA BLACK OPS, a hunter of evil.

And a Santini.

A name he was proud to have and would be proud to pass along one day.

As he slid his gaze back to Caroline, a peace settled into his bones.

She was his person, and he would spend the rest of his life making sure she knew how loved she was, how much he appreciated her, and how her presence in his life gave him a deeper sense of purpose.

As if sensing his eyes on hers, she peered over at him.

The love they shared, the connection he felt in the depths of his soul was unbreakable. And something he’d cherish for the rest of his life.

F really is forever.

Storytelling brings me immense joy. It’s programmed into my DNA. I love sharing stories and I love when friends and family tell me one of their own. By the age of seven, I knew I wanted to be a writer. But that didn’t happen right away.

Funny, how life is. The paths we weave, the challenges we overcome, the wins we cherish that bring us to now.

Now, I’m the writer I’d always dreamed of being.

While my stories are driven by the action, they are character-focused.

My heroes are my anchors and my rockets, and I fall in love with each of them.

My heroines bring the emotions, the feels, the independence.

And they become the pivotal partners in the novels and in my heroes’ lives.

My books would be one-dimensional if not for my all-important villains.

They push my protagonists to their limits… and me as well.

So, I’m asked a lot… “Which of your books is your favorite?”

I don’t have a favorite novel, but I do have favorite characters.

Sin and Dakota are my bookends. Men who are like air and water to me.

I love Maverick and Carly from THE HOTT TOUCH.

Slash is a long-time fave. I adore Hawk and Addison.

When Addison jumped off a fifteen-story building onto a waiting rope ladder dangling from a helo, she became my badass benchmark.

That scene was born from my biz partner and husband, Johnny.

He imagined it, he shared it, and he told me I could write it.

I could see it like a movie, but I had no idea how I’d pull that off.

By the grace of God, I wrote that scene and can still envision her leaping into the air… like I wrote it yesterday.

When Greystone popped into the epilogue of POWER, The Santini Assassins, Book One, I was BLOWN AWAY.

Who is this man? What is his story? I’d planned on writing Teddy’s novel next, but Greystone had hooked me.

He’s one of those characters who will return in future stories because he’s not someone I could easily forget.

I mean, the hair alone!!! I’m never ready to let my boys go, but I have more stories to tell, so I keep moving forward, one step and one word at a time.

I have every confidence Greystone and Caroline will find their way into Teddy and Sydney’s story.

And speaking of Sydney… surprisingly, Johnny commented on her over all the other characters in RENEGADE. He thought she was “ really funny.” I took that as a high compliment since it’s not easy to make him laugh. I look forward to penning that novel.

Readers, I’m so thankful you like diving into my vivid imagination and getting lost in my stories.

I’m especially appreciative of the readers who’ve become loyal fans.

Some of you have read my novels multiple times and love my characters as much as I do.

Thank you. Gratitude fills my heart as I close out Greystone and Caroline’s love story.

Wishing you happy days,