Chapter Forty-one
Dallas, Texas
“I’m telling you, we need to get her out of there. She’s not safe.”
The man barely raised a brow at Jonah’s demand. “She disagrees. And I happen to agree with her.”
“Dammit, Justice. She’s never been on her own. She doesn’t know the kind of danger she’s in. She—”
“Is a very intelligent young woman who has faced more danger than most people do in a lifetime. You told me yourself she’s better trained in hand-to-hand than you are. And on top of that, she shoots like she was born with a gun in her hand.”
“She’s still traumatized. She has triggers…some she isn’t aware of.”
“And she’s getting counseling, just as you suggested. Her first session was yesterday. She texted Lacey that it went well.”
“That doesn’t mean she will stay safe.”
“You want to tell me what the real problem is, Jonah? Do you really think she’s in danger, or are you wanting to relocate her just so you can spend time with her again?”
Jonah ground his teeth till he thought they’d crack. Why the hell didn’t people get it? “My only concern is for Gabby’s safety.”
“So if we did move her to another location, I’m assuming you’re okay with not knowing where she’ll be. Kingston can take care of her relocation. I’ll assign her a new handler. She’ll be completely off your radar. Would that work for you?”
Seething, Jonah glared at his boss. “You’re an asshole, Justice.”
“Can’t argue with the truth.” His smile more than a little triumphant, he waved a hand toward the sofa. “Have a seat. Calm down. Want a drink?”
Without waiting for an answer, Justice went to the bar and poured two generous portions of his best scotch.
Jonah raised a brow when Justice handed him the glass. “Either you’re about to give me bad news, or you’re trying to help me drown my sorrows.”
“Neither, actually. I wanted to talk to you about Irelyn.”
“You’ve heard from her?”
“You might say that.”
Jonah noted that not only did Justice seem almost happy, a rarity in itself, he hadn’t picked up the second drink he’d poured. Tension zipped up his spine as dawning suspicion hit him.
“She’s here, isn’t she?”
“Yes. I thought it best if I was present when you saw each other again. She—”
“Is quite capable of speaking for herself.”
Surging to his feet, Jonah turned to face the woman who’d done the one thing he had been determined to do. Still beautiful beyond description, Irelyn Raine stood before him. Dressed in a white off-the-shoulder blouse and black leggings and her ink-black hair pulled back from her face, she was casually elegant and incredibly lovely. She was also nervous. She was as hard to read as Justice, but he detected a definite uneasiness in her demeanor.
“Hello, Irelyn.”
“Good to see you, Jonah.”
She accepted the drink Justice handed her, and Jonah noticed the lingering touch of their fingers. Didn’t surprise him. Justice might be hard as steel, but when it came to Irelyn, there was a softening. One he might not even be aware of.
She gave Jonah a solemn look. “Grey has told me that you’d likely shoot me when you saw me again. I’m glad to see he was wrong.”
“There was only one person I wanted to shoot. You took that away from me.”
“For good reason.”
“That wasn’t your right, Irelyn. It was mine.”
“Killing isn’t a right, Jonah. It’s a burden. One I took on for you.”
“I didn’t ask you to take it. And killing the man who murdered Teri would not have been a burden.”
“That’s easy to say until you actually take a life.” She took a long swallow of her drink, set the glass back on the bar, and then sat down across from him. “I know you’re angry. If I were in your shoes, I would be livid. If you can’t forgive me, I completely understand. But you need to know that if I had to do it all over again, I would.”
“At least tell me he died knowing the reason.”
“He did. The words he heard before his last breath were her name.”
“Did he…” Jonah cleared his throat, tried again. “Did he tell you where her head is?”
“No. I’m sorry. He said he didn’t know what happened to her body. That once it was done, he left. He mentioned that your father’s right-hand man, Cyrus Denton, took possession of her remains.”
Pain slashed his heart. Was Denton the man who’d dismembered Teri? If so, she would never be found. Denton had died the same night as Mathias.
“Perhaps it’s time to put Teri to rest for good, Jonah.”
Justice’s voice broke into his tortured thoughts. “Just like that? Put it behind me? Get on with my life.”
“What’s your alternative?”
“My alternative?” His eyes moved from Justice’s and burned into Irelyn’s. “My alternative was taken away from me.”
He stalked to the elevator door. Before leaving, he turned back to Justice. “Find Gabby a new name and location. Tell her it was my idea. Dealing with her anger will be a damn sight easier than dealing with her death.”
The instant the door closed on Jonah’s fury, Irelyn turned to Grey. “Well, that went well.”
“What did you expect? Gratitude?”
“No. Maybe in time he’ll see that I did him a favor.”
“Why did you do it?”
“I told you. So he wouldn’t have to.”
“Because you’re a killer and he’s not?”
“Do you see it another way?”
“You think of yourself as a killer.”
She raised her brow at that. “And you don’t?”
“You’ll never forgive me for that, will you?”
“Have you forgiven me?”
“You consider the two the same?”
“Why shouldn’t I? Isn’t that why you made me do it? An eye for an eye?”
“Quoting the Bible now, Irelyn?”
The smile she gave him was both sad and angry. “I think I should go.”
“Stay.” He blurted it so fast, it was almost incoherent.
She cocked her head. The movement was so familiar, so poignant, Grey’s chest went tight with the memories.
“Why should I?”
“Because you want to. Because I want you to. Do you need more than that?”
She rose to her feet and went to him then. Laying a palm on his cheek, she reached up and kissed him softly on the mouth. “I think I do. I think we both need more than that.”
Myriad emotions churning through him, it was all he could do not to grab her and make her stay. Make her listen. Instead, Grey watched her walk away once again and wondered if this time might be the last.