6
GREYSTONE’S HIRE
GREYSTONE
As Greystone drove toward the restaurant, he couldn’t stop thinking about Caroline. That kiss had turned him hard, something he couldn’t let happen at work. But damn, he wanted her. Working with her when she was halfway around the world wasnothinglike partnering up… in person.
Hooking up with her had changed everything.
Every damn thing.
Redirecting his thoughts, he ran through the theories she’d proposed. All were viable, yet he wasn’t convinced the terrorists were employed at these three-letter agencies, especially the law enforcement ones. Frustration took hold when he thought about how a network of employees could be aiding the terror cell by building the bombsforthem.
After parking in the restaurant lot, he made his way toward the building. Time to quiet his thoughts and work the family business like the boss he was. At Santini Ristorante, he was thefriendly GM who made sure guests were well taken care of. Excellent food, great service.
He went inside. As expected, the place was packed.
He slowed at the hostess desk. “Tara, how’s it goin’?”
“Great, boss.”
“Need help?”
“I’m good.”
Addressing the hungry guests waiting for a table, he said, “We’ll get you seated as soon as we can.” He shot the group a smile, made his way through the dining room. In the kitchen, he checked in with the head chef, said hello to the staff, then touched base with the servers. While he was grateful Teddy had given him the job as a cover, he no longer had the time to work there.
I gotta change things up.
He opened the door to their shared office and stopped cold. Sitting on the sofa next to Teddy was his grandmother, Elsa Santini.
His heart melted, flat-out melted. They locked eyes, her face exploded in a radiant smile. She rose and held out her arms. He embraced her, her familiar scent flooding his nostrils with a childhood he’d abruptly left behind.
He kissed one of her wrinkled cheeks, then the other.
Funny, how when he left, sixteen-year-old Greystone thought she was an old woman. Today, as he gazed down at her, she didn’t look much older.
“È bello vederti, nonna,” he said.
“It’s good to see you too, Greystone,” she replied. “Vorrei arrabbiarmi con te per essere rimasto via troppo a lungo, ma sono così felice di vederti.”
“Thank you for not being angry with me,” Greystone said. “I missed you.”
“Anche tu mi sei mancato,” she replied.
“Let’s eat,” Greystone said.
When he gestured for them to leave, Elsa clasped his hand. “I’m not letting you go.”
His heart warmed. She’d told him she wanted to be angry at him for staying away for so long, but she was too happy to see him to stay angry. Being welcomed back into the family by their matriarch meant something to him.
Family mattered then. It mattered even more now.
Teddy ushered them to the owner’s table tucked into the back corner of the main dining room. There, they could spread out in horseshoe-shaped booth, but Greystone didn’t want distance. He wanted his family by his side, something he’d missed for a long, long time.
He put himself in the corner of the booth, facing out. The server hurried over, rattled off the dinner specials and took their drink orders.
While Teddy talked about the latest updates he’d made to the restaurant, Greystone swept his gaze over the diners. While he doubted the terrorists would be brazen enough to eat there, he wasn’t ruling anything out. His elite team of operatives was hunting them down. He had to assume they were doing the same to them. Everyone in BLACK OPS was a target. Anyone could be followed. Anyone could be ambushed. If the terrorist soldiers could find an asset hidden in a safe house in San Diego, they could easily find a BLACK OPS Operative.
