Chapter One
Present Day
Dallas, Texas
The elevator glided noiselessly up to the penthouse. Jonah Slater stared straight ahead, leashed violence evident in the rigid set to his shoulders. He told himself he was ready, more than ready, to find out the truth. The news would lead him down a path he never thought he would take. At one time, the thought of destroying another life would have been an abomination to him. But for justice, for honor…for Teri, he would carry out his promise.
With only a slight jolt, the elevator reached the top, and the doors slid open. The man he had come to see—more friend than employer—stood before him. The solemnity of his expression was normal. Grey Justice wasn’t known for his easygoing personality.
Dark blue eyes swept over him in an all-encompassing sweep. “I’m glad to see you’re in one piece, even if you do look like you tangled with a pack of rabid coyotes.”
Unable to hold back, Jonah asked, “You have something?”
“Come in and let’s talk.”
Knowing he would get nothing until Justice was ready to speak, Jonah wasted no time on protests. Having been in the man’s home many times, he knew his way around. He made his way into the living room, cursing the pain in his left thigh. The last op had been a hairy one, and he’d come out of it better than he deserved. Mostly bruises, really, but his body was telling him to take it easy for a while. His mind and heart said no way in hell. Not until he had what he needed.
He stopped in the middle of the room. “What do you have?”
“You want coffee or something stronger?” His eyes zeroed in on an ugly bruise on Jonah’s jaw. “Or maybe some aspirin?”
The instant the offer was made, Jonah knew he wasn’t going to hear what he wanted…what he needed.
“You don’t have his name, do you?”
“Yes and no.”
“What does that mean?”
“I have a first name, I have a general location.”
First name? Hell, what good was a first name? He asked anyway, “What is it?”
“Peter.” Justice held up his hand. “I told you going in it would be a slow process. This group is well organized and good at hiding in plain sight.”
“What’s the location? I’ll go there and find someone who knows something.”
“Up north.”
“The US?”
“Yes.”
“Could you be more specific?”
“No. Unfortunately not.”
Wrenching disappointment slashed at his heart. When he’d gotten the call to come for a private meeting at Justice’s penthouse, his gut had told him something monumental was imminent. The knowledge that, once again, Teri was being denied justice was infuriating.
“Then why’d you call me here?”
Justice cocked his head and raised a questioning brow. Jonah blew out a soft curse. “The Starling incident.”
“Incident is an interesting word for it. You almost got yourself killed.”
“It worked out fine.”
“Someday it won’t.”
“That’s my problem, not yours.”
“For everyone who cares about you, yes, it is a problem. Eli deserves better.”
Guilt slammed into him, and Jonah looked away from his boss’s piercing stare. The man was right. Eli, Jonah’s older brother, and the only brother he would claim, did deserve better.
“I’ll go see him.”
“And what? Explain why you don’t care if you die or not?”
Justice was wrong about that. He didn’t want to die…at least not until he’d found Teri’s killer. After that? Hell, he didn’t know.
“The situation was resolved. Other than a few bumps and bruises, no one got hurt.”
“This time.”
“Look, Justice, I know you’re pissed. I—”
“I don’t get pissed, Jonah.”
That was true. Justice rarely lost his cool. His control was legendary. Jonah reached for his own control. Yeah, he knew he’d almost screwed up last week, but in the end the job got done.
“If you think I’m upset about how the op went down,” Justice continued, “you’re wrong. You made the decision based upon the information you had. No one, especially me, will fault you for that.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
Justice’s voice went to a steely growl. “You went against protocol and ran into that building like some kind of Lone Ranger vigilante. You left your team behind. If they hadn’t disobeyed orders and followed you, you’d be dead.”
“I was leading the op. My choice, my decision.”
“You were leading a team. I don’t think you understand the concept of teamwork. You’re not one lone man trying to save the world. You’re no longer one lone man trying to bring down your father’s corrupt empire. You have people depending on you, just like you depend on them. One day it’s not going to work out. You’re either going to burn yourself out or get yourself killed.”
No, not yet. And other than a few nicks and the occasional near miss, he had encountered no real problems. Staying busy kept him sane. And looking for Teri’s killer kept him alive.
“It worked out fine.”
“You got lucky this time.”
Luck? He didn’t believe in it. Especially not good luck.
“So, if you have no real info for me, why am I here?”
“I have a job for you.”
“You’re not firing me?”
“No. Despite your rashness, you’re damn good at what you do. Besides, this is more than a job. It’s also a favor. And it’ll give you some thinking time.”
Hell, all he had was thinking time. Staying busy, on the edge of danger, was the only time the demons of regret didn’t eat at him.
“What kind of favor?”
“Bodyguard. Interrogator. Watcher. Keeper.” Justice shrugged. “However you want to term it.”
“Sounds like some kind of made-up bullshit to keep me out of trouble.”
“It’s neither made up nor bullshit. It’s a legitimate and important job. If you don’t do it, I’ll have a difficult time finding anyone else.”
Jonah cast a narrow-eyed doubtful look. “You’re telling me that out of all your thousands of erstwhile employees, you can’t find someone more suitable than me?”
“Yes. Out of my thousands of employees, you are at the top of my list for this particular job. And before you claim that it’s not legitimate, let me remind you that I don’t have time for bullshit.”
Couldn’t argue with the man there. If there was anyone who didn’t have time or the inclination for BS, it was Grey Justice. Jonah had met Justice a few years ago. After discovering that his father, Mathias, along with his oldest brother, Adam, were up to their eyeteeth in a multitude of illegal activities, he’d gone to Justice for some advice.
At that time, Jonah had believed that discovering the vileness behind much of his family’s wealth would be the darkest moments of his life. Little had he known that uncovering those misdeeds would lead him to an even greater darkness. That had been just the beginning, a starting point. He came to realize that there was darkness and then there was the total absence of light. Nothingness. All hope gone. That was where he’d ended up. Since that day, he had yet to see even a glimmer of light.
Grey Justice, with his obsession for righting wrongs, had helped him immeasurably. Without him, Jonah would be dead. That was fact. He owed the man a helluva lot. So, instead of turning him down outright, he asked, “What makes me so suitable for this job?”
Grey watched with interest as myriad emotions flickered across the hard planes of Jonah’s battered face. For a man known for quick action, including making decisions, Grey had stalled considerably on this particular assignment. Going back and forth, he had weighed the consequences if this thing went south against the benefits if it worked the way he hoped. In the end, he trusted his gut. Jonah Slater might be a hothead, but he wasn’t without compassion. Life, in the way of his father and brother, had screwed him royally. What better way for him to get past his own pain than to meet someone who had been dealt an even more rotten deal? Jonah had one focus—vengeance. What would happen if he could channel that need into something more worthwhile?
Having manipulated people and events to get the desired results for most of his adult life, Grey had no compunction in skirting the truth. “She’s an asset in danger.
“What kind of asset and what kind of danger?”
“The details will be sent to you. Right now…” He glanced at his watch. “You’ve got a plane to catch.”
“Babysitting is not exactly one of my strengths.”
“I think Sophie and Violet would disagree.”
At the mention of Jonah’s two nieces, his stern face softened. “They are the exception. I doubt being an expert in hide-and-go-seek or sipping fake tea is what you have in mind.”
“Acting as a bodyguard differs vastly from babysitting. She will be in extreme danger. I’m counting on you to keep her safe.”
Grey locked gazes with the man in front of him. He knew full well that Jonah didn’t need to work, for Grey or anyone else. Money had nothing to do with his employment with the Grey Justice Group and everything to do with his need to quiet the demons of guilt and grief inside him. Being no stranger to those types of monsters, Grey knew better than most that the only way to combat them was to meet them head on.
Jonah gave a grim nod. “Fine. I’ll grab my gear and—”
“No need. Lily’s on the roof, waiting. You’ll find a go bag already on the chopper, along with the information you’ll need.”
“I’m impressed. You have your ace pilot waiting for me.”
“She’ll take you to the landing strip and fly you to your destination.”
Jonah went to the elevator door and then turned back to give Grey an enigmatic look. “I’ve shelved the questions for now.”
“You’ll learn all you need to know soon. I’ll be in touch.”
The door closed on Jonah’s frowning face. He knew the man hadn’t missed the veiled nuances of Grey’s promise. Jonah would learn all he needed to know. That didn’t necessarily mean he would learn everything, though. At least not yet.
And when he did? Who knew what he would do?