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CHAPTER5
Antonio was at a bar in a restaurant in the States, Nonna’s, a classy Italian joint. The food didn’t matter, though. The tequila did, and they had some good stuff. He was waiting for the high school reunion to start so he could see Katie. She had no idea he was here, and the surprise would be fun. He hoped.
There was a barbecue at a local park, sort of a mixer for the ones who wanted to pre-party before the black-tie affair. His own high school hadn’t done so much. Not that he’d kept up with things closely, but he knew private schools did things differently.
He sighed as he pulled a pill out of his pocket and popped it.
He had no business doing this.
Truth was, he wished like hell he’d done things differently. He imagined meeting Katie in a bar like this one for the first time, while he had a normal job, like an accountant or something. Some job her parents would respect. Not—whatever the fuck he was now.
“Suarez? Gray Wolf?” A voice from across the bar surprised him, making his hackles rise. He spun around, arms raised, to see a familiar face he hadn’t seen in over a decade.
If anyone had asked him five minutes ago, the only good person that knew him as Gray Wolf would be Katie. But his life was so consuming, he hadn’t remembered his days as an idealistic young man. Back when he’d been an Army Ranger and was trying to become a Delta Force operative.
“Ghost?” He didn’t believe in coincidences. He looked around him, knowing he was being paranoid, but not giving a shit. He couldn’t remember the guy’s real name; it was some weird yuppy shit.
“Man, I’m supposed to be meeting a guy here about a job I’m not going to take. What a surprise.”
Yeah, sure it was. Antonio raised his eyebrows at his old buddy. “You still in the Army? How are things going?” They stood and met at the center of the bar, giving each other the back-slapping bro hug.
Antonio was still tense but tried to force a relaxation into his bones he didn’t quite feel. Nothing made him uncomfortable like two worlds colliding. And this was like three almost. He lived in his own real world that nobody knew about, but was visiting a fantasy he didn’t really know how to keep after today, and here was his past, rearing it’s fucking head like a lion.
“Yeah. Need-to-know government shit, you know? But I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Nobody’s seen you since you left. How’s your mama?”
He winced. “She passed after Dad did. Lasted about a year.” Ghost was Delta, he’d bet his life on it. He would be a Delta too, but he’d had to quit the Army when his Papa had passed away and he’d gone home to be with his mom. The rest was history.
Ancient history.
“What are you doing here?”
He ducked his head, going for sheepish. “A girl.” He chuckled, even though it felt weird. He hadn’t chuckled in years.
Another man walked in, dressed in a cheap suit, but wearing the air of former military.
“Ah, my date is here. Meet Liam Holder. He runs Serpent Executive Protection Services. Trying to woo me. Maybe I could give him your number?”
A securities job would be heaven, compared to what he was going home to. “I’ll call him later.” Like, never later.
When he’d taken this job, he’d had no clue how embroiled he would be. How isolated. Hell, as far as he was concerned, he was abandoned. He was left alone to deal with this trafficking ring.
But he was still doing his daily diligence, playing the stupid game. He didn’t know how to get out. His superiors had ignored him for years. And now he had Katie whom he didn’t know how to not be in love with.
Even if it would be the death of him.
“Get you another?” a tall, fit bartender with a towel slung over his shoulder asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Sure.” He needed one more. Couldn’t be too drunk. His buddy and Liam had sat next to him and were talking shop. Antonio didn’t listen in, although it seemed like the bartender might be.
“You listen in a lot here?” He couldn’t help the snarl that left his lips.
Looking chagrined, the bartender looked back at him. “Not really, but sometimes it’s too interesting to ignore.” He grinned sheepishly. “I’m Luca. Let me know if you need anything.”
Oh, to be a bartender, who’s main goal in life was to be subtle about his eavesdropping. God, what a perfect gig.
No lives to ruin, no women to kidnap, nobody to torture or kill for information, nothing to set up on computers. Antonio lied to innocents all day long, trying to lure them someplace where the lower levels in their operation could take them out and give Hector all the credit. He was supposed to be taking down this operation, not helping them thrive.
“Well, let me help you out.” Antonio slammed back his tequila, not seeing the point in all this pussyfooting around. “That one runs a security company and is trying to woo away the other one, who has a top-secret military position, while I’m stuck undercover for the State Department in a sting that everyone’s forgotten about.”
Every single one of them stared at him open-mouthed as he stormed out of the bar to go find his woman. He didn’t have a lot of time left, and he had to figure out how to say hello and goodbye in the same exchange.
