With a controlled violence, Grey pounded his fists into the taut leather boxing bag. The only sounds in the empty gym were the heavy thumps of his fists and the rasping breaths of a frustrated, exhausted man.

He threw one last punch and caught the violently swinging bag before it could come back and knock him to the floor. Grabbing hold with his arms, he leaned his face against the cool surface and breathed out harsh, heavy breaths. Beating the shit out of an inanimate object was a helluva lot safer but not nearly as satisfying as destroying the person who was trying to destroy him. It was, however, all he had right now.

The list of suspects was frustratingly long but they still had nothing concrete. He had enemies all around the globe. There were, however, only a few who would go to the trouble and expense to hire an assassin. Those few were being investigated thoroughly. While there had been some surprises, such as secret mistresses and illegal business practices, he had yet to uncover anyone who had recently hired a hit man.

Hunting took patience and skill. He had both. Grey might have been out of the game for a while, but he was no less prepared. Through the years, he had been the target of many. His skills were as sharp as ever. The contract killer would try again. And once again, he would fail. Grey would defeat anyone who threatened him and what was his.

The assassination attempt was no secret. There wasn’t a media outlet on this planet that hadn’t run a story, some more than one story, about the failed attempt on his life. He had turned down every recent interview request, which was frustrating. Discussing with the media the work of his victims advocacy group was usually a good thing. Unfortunately, the interviews now centered on the assassination attempt and speculation about who might want him dead. That was a conversation he preferred to have in private with his people and not the general public.

Everyone associated with any Grey Justice entity had been warned to be wary. He doubted anyone who happened to work for one of his companies was in danger, but caution was never a useless endeavor. He was concerned that those closest to him could be targeted. He cared about many, but there were only a few in his inner circle. They were the ones who could be used against him.

Irelyn was in that inner circle. Yes, she had chosen to end their relationship, but that didn’t mean he’d stopped caring. He would never stop caring. He wanted to see her, talk to her. He wanted to know what the hell she was doing associating herself with Sebastian Dark and Hill House. Problem was, he had no idea where she was. She had gone dark this time—darker than she ever had before. He’d broken his promise to her and his own code of ethics and started looking for her again. She’d be furious, but having her hate him was nothing new. Damned if he’d have her wellbeing on his conscience more than he already did.

In the meantime, someone was out to get him, and he needed to find that person and fast.

“If you’re tired of torturing that boxing bag, I’ll be happy to go a round with you.”

Wyatt Kingston stood at the doorway. The gleaming fury in his eyes belied the calm manner in which he’d spoken. Grey couldn’t blame him. Lacey was doing better but she was still in a lot of pain. And Grey felt one hundred percent responsible. The life he lived called for enemies to want to end him, but he never intended for innocents to be hurt in the process.

“I would imagine you would like to do more than go a round with me.”

“Not really. I’m saving most of my energy for the piece of shit responsible.”

While he appreciated Kingston’s words, he didn’t agree. If he had found Lacey another ride home, which had been his initial thought, she wouldn’t be going through hell right now.

“Have you seen Lacey today?”

The brief flicker of grief in Kingston’s eyes was almost immediately replaced with fierce determination. “She’s refused to see anyone but her family and you.”

Grey wasn’t surprised. Wyatt and Lacey’s relationship had been volatile already. This incident hadn’t helped.

“She’ll come around.”

“I know she will. In the meantime, my main purpose is to find the son of a bitch responsible.”

That was no surprise either. Grey had more than a dozen people working on finding the bastard, but that wouldn’t stop Kingston from doing his own investigation. Even though the man had headed up several missions for the Grey Justice Group, he wasn’t a Justice employee. Wyatt, as the owner/operator of Kingston Defense, and his team often handled ops other defense and security companies deemed too risky or bordered on illegal. A few months ago, Wyatt and a few of his best had kidnapped Gabriella and Carlos Mendoza for the Grey Justice Group.

Though things had gotten complicated and dangerous later on, Kingston and his team had pulled off the abduction without a hitch. Carlos was now serving a long prison term for multiple rapes. His sister, Gabriella, had escaped a life of captivity and was now married to Jonah Slater, one of GJG’s best operatives.

“We need a sit-down to share info.”

Kingston jerked his head in a nod. “Why I’m here.”

Grey grabbed a towel to wipe his face. “We can beat the hell out of each other another time.”

Wyatt threw him a crooked grin. “You just don’t want to be beaten up by an old man.”

“Yeah, right.”

Kingston was three years older than Grey’s thirty-four years. Since he was in excellent shape and had more stamina than men half his age, Kingston’s old-man reference should be laughable. It wasn’t. Wyatt had started referring to himself as an old man after he’d met Lacey. Grey figured it was the man’s way of reminding himself that she was way too young and innocent for him. Lacey, as usual, had a different opinion.

This newest obstacle certainly hadn’t helped.

“Give me five minutes to grab a shower, and I’ll meet you in my office.”

With a grim nod, Kingston walked out, and Grey headed to his bathroom on the other side of his home. On the way, he pushed speed-dial for Nick.

“What’s up?” Gallagher asked.

“Kingston’s here at my apartment. Wants to go over the suspect list. You got anything else?”

“A couple more possibilities, but we’re stretching.”

And that was the problem. There were plenty of people to look at, but so far none of them looked viable. “Bring what you have.”

“See you in fifteen.”

Grey pocketed the phone, fighting the urge to throw it across the room. It had been a while since he was this frustrated. He’d learned early in life that losing his temper got him nowhere. Cool, calculated reasoning was his mainstay. Lately, though, his patience had been pushed to the brink.

* * *

Wyatt paced back and forth in Justice’s office. He had almost nothing to go on and was relying on Justice to give him some leads. Once he got something concrete, nothing would stop him from hunting down and destroying the person behind this. He would have done this for Justice anyway, as the man was not only a friend but also his occasional employer. But that wasn’t the biggest reason. He wanted to hunt down this bastard for Lacey.

Dropping into a chair, Wyatt closed his eyes in despair. He had let her down so much that he was sickened to even think about it. He couldn’t get the guilt out of his mind. He had promised to attend the awards event with her and then, through sheer stupidity, had backed out. She’d ended up going with some creep who had made her uncomfortable, so she’d gotten a ride with Justice. Shouldn’t have been a problem, except Justice had so many damn enemies. And because of that, Lacey had been injured in both body and spirit.

He would never forgive himself for letting her down, and right now all he had to go on was the hope of bringing the man responsible for the botched hit to justice. And after that? Hell, he didn’t know. His reasons for not being with Lacey were as valid as ever. But to see her hurting and so damn dispirited tore a hole through that wall of self-protection he’d erected to deal with his emotions. From the moment he’d met Lacey Slater, she had penetrated every defense he’d ever put up. Without even trying.

“I called Gallagher,” Justice said as he walked into the room. “He’s got a couple more leads. Coffee?”

Wyatt appreciated his friend not questioning why he’d had his eyes closed with what was most likely a sad, defeated look on his face. His attitude wouldn’t exactly inspire confidence, but if anyone understood his struggles, it was Justice. The man had endured a boatload of his own worries over someone he cared deeply about.

“Coffee sounds good.”

“I spoke with Lacey’s surgeon last night. He still thinks the prognosis for a full recovery is good.”

“Yeah. Eli told me the same thing. The doctor also said a lot of it will have to do with Lacey herself.”

“She’ll come around,” Justice assured him. “It just takes time.”

Though he nodded his agreement, he wasn’t as sure as Justice was. For as long as he’d known her, Lacey Slater had been one of the most optimistic and determined people he’d ever met. Her sheer energy and love of life had drawn him to her, but it was her unquestioning loyalty and incredible sweetness that made him long for her with an unending ache. He had stayed away from her as much as possible, but her tenacity and his fascination with her had gotten in the way of his resolve.

But now? Now she had told him to go away. Had even requested he be barred from visiting her in the hospital. There were ways around that, but still, the knowledge that she refused to see him tore through him like a machete. To know that her attitude was his own damn fault didn’t help.

Grey handed the coffee to Kingston and walked over to his floor-to-ceiling window. Dark gray clouds hovered like a thick, heavy blanket over the city, blending perfectly with the darkening storm inside him.

“Being in love is never easy.” Grey murmured the words quietly, almost to himself, but there was a wealth of knowledge behind them.

“It sure as hell isn’t.”

At least Kingston hadn’t denied his feelings. That was progress.

Before Grey could think of some encouraging words, which lately he had struggled with, Gallagher came through the door. Seconds later, his wife, Kennedy, followed him.

“I brought Kennedy along. I want to discuss another issue, too.”

Grey knew exactly what that issue was. He also knew Kennedy and Nick had argued fervently about it. The surprise visit Irelyn had made to Kennedy had Nick in complete overprotective mode. As much as he understood Gallagher’s need to protect his wife, Grey knew without a doubt that Irelyn would never harm her or any innocent. Her reasons for what she was doing were as mysterious as the woman herself, but he had learned long ago that he could trust her judgment.

“Let’s talk suspects, then we’ll go on to the other issue.”

Both the Gallaghers nodded, but the mutinous expression on Kennedy’s face and Nick’s grim demeanor didn’t bode well for a pleasant discussion.

“I sent an updated list to your tablet,” Nick said.

Grey clicked on the link, forwarded it on to Kingston, and then reviewed the names. Many of their previous suspects had been eliminated. A few originals remained, and two had been added.

“Adam Slater?” Grey asked.

“That was my addition,” Kennedy said. “I know he’s a long shot since he doesn’t have access to his money, but even locked up, he’s found ways to hurt people.”

“I don’t disagree with your assessment, but why would Adam target me? We had few dealings before he was incarcerated and none since he’s been locked up. As far as I know, he has no clue that I was one of the people who tried to bring him down.”

“Because you’re important to Eli and Jonah,” Kennedy explained. “He may not know your involvement with bringing him to justice, but he’s aware of a relationship between you and his brothers.” Kennedy glanced around the room, meeting everyone’s eyes. “We all know that Adam is evil enough to do this. Hurting his family, especially his brothers, would give him immense satisfaction.”

Grey couldn’t argue with her logic. Adam Slater, Mathias’s oldest son, had been a chip off the old block. Though not nearly as intelligent or devious as his father, his self-absorption and coldheartedness made him just as dangerous and evil as Mathias had been.

“You’re right. We already monitor him, but I’ll make sure we delve deeper just to make sure he’s not gotten back into the killing business.”

“There’s one more person I’d like to add,” Nick said.

Kennedy’s soft snort of disgust warned Grey about the identity of Nick’s new suspect.

His brow raised, Grey asked, “Irelyn?”

“Yes.”

“Nick, this is ridiculous,” Kennedy snapped. “Irelyn would never hurt Grey.”

“I know we’d all like to think that, Kennedy. The fact remains that she is an assassin.”

“I know that’s what you think, but there’s got to be more than meets the eye here. She wouldn’t—”

“You don’t know what she would or wouldn’t do,” Gallagher said. “Just because she helped you when she worked for Grey doesn’t mean she won’t kill for money now. She’s obviously dangerous, and I—”

“That’s enough, Gallagher,” Grey growled. “We’ve had this conversation before, and while I understand your concern for Kennedy, she is in no danger from Irelyn. I know for a fact that Irelyn would lay down her life for Kennedy…hell, for all of us, including you. I don’t have a clue why she has associated herself with Hill House. I intend to find out the reason, but until then, know this. I trust Irelyn Raine more than anyone else in the world, period.”

“And you’re willing to gamble your life that she’s not changed? Gone rogue?”

“Yes. Irelyn Raine is many things, but there’s not an ounce of killer instinct in her.”

“Then why the hell did she hire on as an assassin?”

Grey had racked his brain trying to figure out just what Irelyn had up her sleeve. She always had an agenda. A part of him feared exactly what that agenda entailed, but he knew to his soul it had nothing to do with killing innocent people. And though he was as far from innocent as a man could get, he also knew she would never physically harm him. Metaphorically tear his heart out of his chest? Most definitely. But never would she want to see him hurt.

“Again, I don’t have an answer to that question.” Grey glanced over at Kingston. “You have a unique perspective on this matter. You want to jump in?”

“Be glad to.” Giving a half-smile, Kingston turned to Nick. “I met Irelyn almost seven years ago. I’d just gotten out of the military and was trying to reconnect with my daughter. She was ten years old going on thirty and resented every moment I wanted to spend with her. She agreed to come away with me if she could bring two of her friends.

“I took them to a beach resort in Florida. They went together to the bathroom on the beach and didn’t come back. I went looking for them and…” He shook his head. “Scared the hell out of me. I was about to call the police when Irelyn showed up with them. She was working undercover to bring down a human-trafficking ring. She’d managed to sneak the girls out.”

“Was this a GJG op?” Nick asked.

Grey smiled. “No. This was an Irelyn op.”

There was so much people didn’t understand about Irelyn Raine. She had saved lives so many times, and no one even knew she’d been involved.

“An Irelyn op?” Kennedy said. “So she was just doing this on her own?”

“Her main focus is child trafficking and child endangerment,” Grey said.

“So what happened to the traffickers?” Nick asked.

“Took a few weeks more, but she was finally able to identify the head of the ring. All in all, eleven people were taken into custody. Seven children were saved and returned to their families.”

“How did Irelyn keep from being outed?” Kennedy said.

Kingston gave a gruff laugh. “She’s Irelyn.”

Grey almost smiled. That was the answer to so many questions regarding Irelyn Raine. She was one of the strongest and most capable people he’d ever known. She had fascinated him the first time he met her, and years later, that hadn’t changed.

“So you think she’s infiltrated this assassin group as one of her undercover ops?” Kennedy asked.

That was his greatest fear and the likeliest answer. But there was so much more to this situation than met the eye. Irelyn’s past and her present were now one. Grey knew to his soul there would not be a peaceful resolution.

“I do believe this, yes,” Grey said. “I wish I could say why, but I don’t know the answer. And I have been unable to locate her.”

“Any chance it’s related to the attempted hit on you?” Gallagher asked.

“That is a possibility.”

“Then why didn’t she warn you about it? Instead, she waits several days and then goes to Kennedy to deliver a message that you should be careful?”

Nick’s distrust was understandable. As a former homicide detective, he had been trained to be suspicious. His anger was understandable as well. Kennedy’s first husband, also Nick’s best friend, had been killed by the very same organization that Irelyn had just joined. No one else knew about her past association with this group, and for now, no one would.

“That’s another mystery I haven’t solved, Gallagher. What I do know is Irelyn is not a threat to Kennedy nor to me.”

An alarm chimed on his phone, and Grey glanced at the message. For the first time in weeks, he felt a lightening of his spirit. She had been located, and she was alive. All the other irritants, such as someone trying to kill him, were suddenly much more bearable.

“All right. Where does this leave us?” Kingston asked. “We have no solid leads and a thousand suspects? None of whom look all that viable.”

“We keep looking until one pops,” Gallagher said.

“There is another option,” Grey said.

“What’s that?” Gallagher asked.

“We lure the killer, take him alive, and make him talk. He can tell us who hired him.”

“That’s insane, Grey,” Kennedy said. “There’s got to be another way to find out who’s behind this.”

Both Kingston and Gallagher remained silent, but their expressions said they agreed. This would be the fastest way.

“Hired killers are remarkably patient. He’ll wait as long as he needs. Damned if I’m going to hide from the bastard.” Grey softened his next words. “I appreciate your concern, Kennedy, but I have the best people working with me.”

Grey looked over at the other two men. “It needs to be soon, so let’s start planning.”

As they talked scenarios, Grey noticed Kennedy kept sending him odd glances. He knew she disapproved of the plan to lure the killer out, but her expression said there was more to it than that. He wasn’t surprised when, after they’d settled on a plan, she said, “Grey, I’d like to talk with you alone for a few moments.”

He glanced over at Nick, who looked at her curiously, which told him that she hadn’t mentioned to her husband whatever was concerning her.

“Sure.” He nodded at Gallagher and Kingston as they left the room. When the door closed behind them, he said, “What’s wrong?”

She was silent for a few seconds, as if trying to figure out exactly what to say.

“You can ask me anything, Kennedy.”

She released a drawn-out breath. “Irelyn said something when she left my house. I didn’t mention it before, mostly because I really didn’t know how. But I can’t get it out of my mind.”

Knowing Irelyn, who after all these years could still surprise him, he had no idea what she might have said. He gave Kennedy an encouraging nod and waited.

“She told me she killed your parents.”

Of all the things he’d thought she might have told Kennedy, that was not even in his top one thousand.

“How on earth did something like that come up?”

“So it’s true?”

For the first time in years, Grey found himself speechless. Why would Irelyn speak of something so private, so incredibly painful? He had been a little surprised at her unexpected visit to Kennedy, but he hadn’t been alarmed. Irelyn had a special fondness for Kennedy, and since she had so few friends, he could understand her need to reconnect. But hearing what she had shared brought to mind a whole new possibility for the visit.

His mind scrambled to understand the nuances, and then, like a bullet, he zoomed to a sickening conclusion.

Surging from his chair, he strode over to where Kennedy sat on the couch. Taking her hand, he sat beside her and spoke with as much control as he could gather. “Tell me exactly what she said and the circumstances behind the conversation.”

Though her eyes widened with alarm at his apparent urgency, she thankfully didn’t question him. “We were talking about why she had come to see me. She didn’t stay long…just a few minutes. She said she wanted me to tell you to be careful. That you wouldn’t listen to her, but you’d listen to me.

“Then I told her you hadn’t been the same since she left.” She gave a self-conscious smile. “Sorry. That probably wasn’t my place.”

He couldn’t argue with the truth. He was skilled at hiding his thoughts and feelings, but when it came to Irelyn, he had to work harder.

“What else?”

“I told her I was sure that whatever happened between you two you could work out. She said no, that she had done something unforgivable. I asked what it was, and she said she killed your parents. Before I could question her further, she jumped into her car and she was gone.”

The fact that Irelyn had shared a secret that only the two of them knew about was beyond messed up. They hadn’t talked about that fateful day in a long time. It had taken him a long time to forgive her, but it had taken even longer for her to forgive herself. Years of therapy and counseling had helped them deal, but he knew the cloud of that day would never completely disappear.

“Grey? Is what she said true? Did Irelyn really murder your parents?”

Kennedy was more than a valued employee, she was a dear friend. Still, talking about that time wasn’t something he’d willingly do. Especially since he had more vital issues emerging, like just why the hell had Irelyn told Kennedy?

“Let’s just say there’s more to her statement than meets the eye. When you see Irelyn again, you can ask her to explain.”

“All right. I will. Now tell me why you’re so worried.”

Another sign he wasn’t doing well hiding his thoughts.

“It’s just not something she talks about ever, to anyone.”

“You think she told me for a specific reason?”

That was his biggest concern. Irelyn never said anything without a purpose. And for her to bring up the most painful moment in her life? Grey could think of only one reason, and it chilled him to the bone. Whatever she was setting in motion with this newest “job” of hers, she wasn’t sure she would come out of it alive.