Chapter 15 I Know Him! #2
“Why is my cousin with Haqazzii? We gotta find out what they’re celebrating.”
“You know what we’re gonna do?” he said.
“What?” she asked.
“Release the hounds of Hell.”
As they stared into each other’s eyes, the energy shifted. Determination soared through him. He’d gotten a break in the case and he was gonna fly with it.
“Those hounds are us, aren’t they?” she asked. “We’re the hounds of Hell.”
“Yes. We. Are.”
Her smile brought a brief respite from the constant agitation flowing through him like a raging river.
“You’re giving me a lady boner,” she whispered.
He chuffed out a laugh. “How’s that?”
“I love that we’re so connected. We get each other… completely.”
They paused to share a tender kiss.
“Where’s that cabin?”
“Lake Willow outside Winchester. We used to spend summers there,” she explained. “Robby and I were just talking about that—”
“You’ve seen him?”
“Yeah. We had a family dinner last week, or maybe it was two weeks ago. It’s just been one long blur of activity. Anyway, Robby’s been living out west, and I haven’t seen him in forever. He said that after his dad died, his uncle sold the cabin.”
“How can we verify?”
“My mom will know,” Sydney said. “Her sister is Robby’s mom.”
A growl rumbled out of him. “Jesus, do you think Haqazzii and his team are hiding out there?”
Awareness lit up her eyes. “My money’s on ‘yes’. Only one way to find out.” She pushed out of her chair. “I’m going to my parents’ house.”
“We,” he said. “We’re going.”
She placed her hands on the table and leaned down. “Are you my going as bodyguard… or my boyfriend?”
A bolt of energy charged through him. “Both.”
As they made their way toward the hangar, she asked, “Nervous?”
“Why?”
“You know… meeting the parents.”
“I already met them—”
“Not as my man.”
“I don’t get anxious.”
“You’re a badass beast,” she murmured as they entered the oversized garage.
“They’re gonna love me,” he said as he opened the driver’s side door.
When she opened the passenger side, he said, “You aren’t wearing a disguise. Get in the back, Sydney.”
After she climbed into the back seat, he got behind the wheel and backed out. While waiting for the oversized door to close, he asked, “Don’tcha wanna know why they’re gonna love me?”
“Because you’re a super-sexy badass Santini?”
“Because I love their daughter… and they’ll see that.”
SYDNEY
Sydney had trusted her gut on Tank, and she’d been right. He was a solid man. Reliable, loyal, and determined.
She opened the nav app, entered her parents’ address, and started it up. “They live in Alexandria, overlooking the river.” Then, she pulled the binos, turned around, and began searching for a tail.
“Are they near Hawk and Addison?” He rattled off their address.
She checked the map app. “Same area.”
“What are you gonna tell your mom and dad?” he asked.
She slid her gaze toward him, appreciating his strong profile, the way he tucked his long hair behind one ear.
From her vantage point, she had a clean line of sight to his face.
And she soaked up his handsome features.
Everything about him worked for her. He was sick handsome, built like a tank, but she loved his character the most. Yet, he was like her.
A trained killer, a hitman, an assassin.
He’s a complicated man… and he’s all mine.
“Sydney?” he said. “You there?”
“I like you Theodore Santini,” she said. “Something crazy.”
He smiled. “Don’t ever stop.”
“Don’t give me a reason.”
He chuckled. “I love a woman who lays down the law.” Then, his gaze softened. “I won’t, and in your heart, you know that.”
She had an assassin’s heart—a heart of stone—but she did trust her gut.
If I chose him, he’ll be mine… forever.
After a beat, she said, “I’m gonna keep things chill, just ask my mom about the cabin.”
Twenty minutes later, he pulled into the neighborhood, stopped at the curb. “Are we clear?”
“Looks that way, but give it another minute.”
They waited in a comfortable silence while she watched to see if anyone had followed them. A car pulled down the street. In it sat man and a woman. In the backseat were two young children, both in car seats.
“Do you want to get married?” she asked.
“You mean, like, now? Next week? Whaddya have in mind?”
She smiled. “Road’s clear. You can drive.”
He pulled out, continued toward her parents’. “Yes, marriage. How ‘bout you?”
“I would love to be married, someday. It’s funny to think back…
when I was in college, I became obsessed with wedding gowns.
I’d picked out a few, but never tried them on.
I thought it was bad luck, which was crazy because I’m not superstitious like that.
Well, except if I see a black cat, especially on Halloween, I think that’s good luck. Like serious good luck.”
He parked in front of her parents’ home. “You okay?” He turned toward her.
“I’ve never asked anyone about marriage, so I got a little wiggly.”
“Lemme see that wiggle.”
She did a half-wiggle, half-shimmy, and he laughed. “Nice.”
Be brave. Tell him.
“If this is it—and my gut says it is—we can get married and start a family whenever we want.”
Concerned she’d said too much, she stilled.
His lips spread into a grin, the happiness on his face touching the deepest part of her. The part that longed for that forever connection. For the person she’d call her other half.
“I’m all-in,” he said.
“Thanks for letting me be me,” was all she said.
“That’s the only Sydney I want. I got you, and I can handle whatever you throw my way.”
Her gaze stayed locked on his for several precious seconds, but it was time to get real. They needed information, and she hoped her mom could help.
Sydney glanced out the window. “It looks like they’ve got company. The two cars in the driveway aren’t theirs.”
They exited the SUV, hurried to the front door. She keyed her way inside. Voices from the dining room caught her ear and she stopped in the foyer.
When she turned around, Tank put his finger to his lips to silence her, then he pressed his mouth to her ear and whispered, “Gabriel’s in there.”
What the hell?
“They need to be eliminated,” said a man Sydney didn’t recognize.
“I agree,” her mom said.
Ohmygod, what is going on?
“We have to be very careful,” said the man who sounded like Gabriel. “This has to be a clean job with no way to trace or track.”
“Agreed,” said her dad. “And it needs to be all of them. If anyone gets out, it’s a fail.”
“I hear you on that, Mark,” said the unidentified man.
Feeling lightheaded, Sydney grabbed Tank’s arm to steady herself. Then, she sneezed. It came on so fast, she couldn’t stop it, couldn’t muffle it either.
Silence.
“Oops,” Sydney whispered.
Her mom and dad came flying around the corner, the utter surprise on their faces would have been comical, if Sydney hadn’t heard them discussing a wetwork mission.
Their attention jumped from her to Tank, then back to her.
“Sydney! What a great surprise!” Her mom’s over-the-top attempt to cover made Sydney chuckle.
Her mom hugged her while her dad shook Tank’s hand.
“Mr. Austin,” Tank said.
“Good to see you, Tank,” her dad replied.
After the embrace ended, Sydney said, “Mom, Dad, you remember Tank—”
“Fratello!” Gabriel sauntered into the foyer, his relaxed expression giving nothing away. He pulled Tank into a bear hug, then slapped him on the back before dropping light kisses on Sydney’s cheeks. “Ciao, sorellina.”
“This is something,” Sydney murmured.
Gabriel winked at her.
“How you doing, Mrs. Austin?” Tank asked.
“Are you hungry?” Sydney’s mom asked. “We’ve got so much food.”
“I could eat,” Tank said with a grin. “It smells great.”
“C’mon in,” her dad said. “We’ll get you set up. You like ribs?”
Sydney waited for them to leave before she eyed her mom. “What is going on?”
“Sydney, Dad and I have told you and Caroline that we don’t like pop-ins,” her mom replied.
“We thought it was because of the—you know—sexy times.”
Her mom laughed. “Well, there is that.”
“Ew, TMI, Mom.” Then, she fisted her hands on her hips. “What are you up to?”
“Sydney, why don’t you have something to eat?” Her mom guided her into the kitchen.
While rarely surprised, Sydney’s head was reeling from what she’d just overheard.
She found Tank ponied up the center island, his dinner plate filled with ribs, slaw, a twice-baked potato. Standing next to him, Gabriel cradled his mug while her dad was busy slicing into a cheesecake. Standing nearby, a man Sydney had never seen before was heads down on his phone.
“Sydney, this is Addison and Britain’s dad, Z. This is our oldest, Sydney.”
She shook Z’s hand. “Hello, Z.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Z said.
“From Addison or from Brit?” Sydney asked.
“From Langley,” Z replied matter-of-factly. “I’ve always wanted to meet a gold medalist, especially in marksmanship.”
Sydney eased onto a counter stool next to Tank. “Thank you. How do you know my mom and dad?”
Z stayed silent.
No surprise there, but she had to ask.
“I know you’re probably freaking that I’m not at the restaurant,” Gabriel said to Tank, “but I ran into a little problem that needed a solution.” Gabriel grinned. “And you, my brother, are part of that solution.”
“Fantastic,” Tank said, his deep voice brimming with sarcasm. “Because I don’t have enough going on.”
The group laughed, but Sydney did not. Neither did Tank.
“Mom, can I borrow you for a few?”
Her mom pulled a plate from the microwave, set it down in front of her. “Have a few bites first.”
Sydney picked at the food while the guys talked football.
Who was headed into the post-season line-up.
Which teams had fallen short. She couldn’t wrap her brain about what she’d just walked in on and they were acting like nothing had happened.
When she glanced over at Tank, he was enjoying the home-cooked meal and fully engaged in the sports discussion.
She studied her dad. She thought he’d moved away from LE and was a weapons instructor.