Sebastian smiled as the news reports from last night’s event flashed across the screen. Just a scrolling ticker at the bottom, but that was to be expected. Grey Justice knew how to cover up his sins, even from the nosiest of media outlets.

It hadn’t turned out exactly as he’d planned, but he’d take it as a win. Despite the death of one of his best contractors, everything was still on track. While Kevin’s death was unfortunate, there were advantages. For one, it confirmed what he had known all along. Irelyn Raine had been on a fishing expedition when she had agreed to return to Hill House. She hadn’t been looking to become a premier assassin, as she had claimed. She had wanted information. He had expected that was the case, but was disappointed all the same. Predictability was so passé.

She hadn’t told him the truth. For that alone, he would cheerfully kill her. Yes, he told lies for a living, but that was part of the job. Being lied to was a different animal altogether. He punished liars, and Irelyn would receive her punishment in due time. She had so many sins to pay for, and he couldn’t wait to show her each and every one of them.

But exposing Irelyn for who she really was wouldn’t be the only benefit. She had gone to him. To Justice.

A day of reckoning was coming for them both. Then real justice would finally be attained. And he, Sebastian Dark, would be the one meting out his very own brand.

Blood for blood.

* * *

Irelyn had attended many GJG op meetings. She’d even headed up several of them. This was the first one in her memory that she felt like an outsider. The hostility was muted, but the suspicion was overt. They no longer trusted her as one of their own.

She knew all six of them in varying degrees. She had worked one-on-one with both Kennedy and Charlie. She had become acquainted with Jonah Slater when he had worked with them to help bring down his father, Mathias. Later, when Jonah had been framed and imprisoned, she had helped to try to free him. The fact that she had killed the assassin who’d murdered his fiancée was a bone of contention between them. He had wanted to do the deed, to get his revenge. She took that opportunity away from him, and he likely still resented her interference. She had no regrets.

She didn’t know Gabriella, Jonah’s wife, nor had she worked with Kathleen, Eli’s wife, but Grey didn’t bring people into the group he couldn’t wholly trust. She trusted his judgment.

And then there was Nick Gallagher. While everyone else had offered her a greeting or, at the least, a polite smile, Nick had done nothing but stare at her with suspicious eyes. Since he was a former homicide detective, the distrust was likely second nature for him.

She told herself the pain in her chest wasn’t from hurt feelings. She didn’t have those typical kinds of emotions. Nevertheless, she would be working with all of these people until the person behind the contract could be identified and dealt with. They might never like her or even respect her again, but they did need to trust her in this matter.

She waited until everyone was seated at the conference table and then stood. “I’d like to address the group before we begin.”

Grey nodded his agreement. He’d recognized the tension, too. One of the many things she appreciated about Grey was his ability to stand back and let her defend herself, both physically or verbally.

“I know you’re wondering where I’ve been and what I’ve been up to the last couple of years. I’m sure you’ve heard rumors and speculation. Some are true, some aren’t. I won’t go into a lot of detail except to say that not once have I betrayed Grey or the Grey Justice Group. Some of you might not approve of what I’ve done, but know this—there is no one more important to me than Grey. And nothing more important than finding out who is behind the attempts on his life and stopping him or her from succeeding.”

This was the closest she’d ever come to sharing with anyone, other than Grey, how much he meant to her. She didn’t expect to have to expound on those words, but wasn’t really surprised at the next question, or who it came from.

“Stopping him or her how?” Nick asked.

Nick didn’t try to hide his disapproval or distrust, and she wouldn’t hide who she was. “Any way that’s necessary.”

“The way you stopped the man last night?”

“If necessary. Are you saying I shouldn’t have killed him?”

“We wanted to capture him, to talk to him.”

“Sorry, I thought saving Grey’s life was a bit more important.”

He ignored her sarcasm and continued, “I’m just wondering how likely you are to shoot first and ask questions later.”

“Seeing as the man was about to shoot Grey, I didn’t see an alternative.”

“And the other ones you’ve eliminated over the last couple of years? Were they also not in a talkative mood?”

Explaining herself to anyone didn’t sit well with her. She had shared more than she normally would have, but there was a limit. Before she could tell him that she was through justifying her actions, a surprising ally spoke up for her.

“That’s enough, Nick,” Kennedy said. “Irelyn has proven herself and her loyalty numerous times. You said yourself that she saved Grey’s life last night. And what she has or hasn’t been doing is her business, too.”

“Maybe so, but she damn well owes you an apology for running out on you last night.”

Eyes flashing at her husband, Kennedy shot back, “That’s between her and me. I don’t—”

“Nick’s right, Kennedy,” Irelyn said. “I do owe you an apology. I—”

Kennedy shook her head, gave her a warm smile. “We’ll talk later.”

“You called out his name.”

“What?” The question caught her off guard. Turning away from Kennedy and her kind smile, she focused on Kathleen Slater.

“Last night. Things happened so fast, it was hard to process everything until later, but I heard you say his name. You called him Kevin. Did you know him?”

Kennedy’s easy forgiveness didn’t extend to the rest of the group. If she was going to gain their trust, she knew she would have to explain further. If she had to share more than she was comfortable with, that was her price to pay. There were still things she wouldn’t tell. Revealing that the man she killed last night was her brother was one of them.

“Kevin was a member of an elite team of assassins trained by Hill Reed.”

“The man responsible for Thomas’s murder?” Kennedy asked.

“Yes. Hill Reed was a master manipulator and trainer. He trained dozens of killers. Kevin was one of them.”

“And you know this how?” Nick asked.

She glanced over at Grey. The look on his face said she had his full support, no matter what she chose to share. Irelyn took a breath and answered, “Because I used to be one of them. Hill Reed trained me, too.”

Under different circumstances, the silence in the room would have been funny. With the exception of Grey’s, everyone else’s expressions showed either shock or disbelief.

“You were an assassin?” Kathleen asked.

“No. At least—” She stole a look at Grey and then said firmly, “No. I’m not. But I did rejoin the association to root out some information.”

“What kind of information?” Jonah asked.

That was going into territory she deemed none of their business. “Personal things. They’re not pertinent to what we’re talking about here. Bottom line, I am here to help. You may not like me or like what I’ve done, that’s your prerogative. Either way, I’m here to stay until we find the person behind the contract.”

Unable to stay seated any longer, Grey came to stand beside Irelyn. His natural instinct was to protect her. Defending her was as normal to him as breathing. He also knew she would want to handle the matter in her own way and wouldn’t appreciate his interference. Irelyn could take care of herself, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to butt in and defend her. His jaw was taut with the need to demand that they trust her as much as he did.

“In case anyone has doubts, I want to make my position perfectly clear.” His eyes hit on everyone in the room, and then he centered his gaze on Gallagher. “I trust Irelyn, wholly, completely. In fact, there’s no one I trust more.” His eyes roamed around the room again. “Anyone here who disagrees with her working with us to find this person should feel free to leave. No questions asked. There are plenty of other projects to work on.”

Everyone remained silent, including Gallagher. Grey hadn’t expected anything different. Nick might have his doubts about Irelyn, but his loyalty to the Grey Justice Group and what they stood for was unquestionable.

“Okay. Now that that’s settled, let’s take a look at what we’ve got.”

The lights dimmed slightly, and a large screen lowered from the ceiling. Thirty-six names appeared on the screen.

“We’ve narrowed the list down to these men and women,” Kennedy said.

Still standing beside him, Irelyn nudged him with her shoulder, gave him a wry grin. “These are the only ones you’ve managed to piss off enough to want to kill you?”

He returned her grin. “I’m sure there are many more, but these are the ones who can afford to pay someone to do the deed.”

“Our criteria was fairly broad,” Kennedy said. “Any business or individual who had an association with any Grey Justice company where there might be bad blood or harsh feelings. We went back five years, as you suggested.”

Grey nodded his agreement. If anyone was after him because of what they perceived as a bad or unfair deal, it would make sense that it was somewhat recent.

“And those are just the ones we know about,” Charlie interjected.

“True,” Grey said. “I’m sure there are three times as many who didn’t show any outward resentment, but felt it all the same.”

That was the nature of doing business. He never dealt unfairly with a competitor, but neither did he back away from doing what he thought was best for his companies. That didn’t sit well with some people.

“I’m sure there are more,” Grey added, “which is why capturing the hit man would have been our best bet.”

“And that didn’t happen.”

There was no accusation in Nick’s tone, but the message was heard nevertheless. Irelyn had killed the one man who might have been able to tell them what they needed to know. Grey wouldn’t reveal that the man was her brother. If and when she wanted anyone else to know, that was her right.

Irelyn released a loud, exasperated sigh. “Oh, for heaven’s sake, Nick. If I had wanted to betray Grey, wouldn’t I have let the assassin kill him?”

Not bothering to wait for an answer, she stood and strode over to the screen. She was silent for several long seconds. Grey knew she had reviewed the list earlier and was likely gathering her thoughts as she culled the most likely suspects.

Because of the bruising and cut on her leg, she had made concessions on her clothing again today. Dressed in a pair of black straight-leg trousers and a thin light blue sweater, she managed to look both casually elegant and professional. The woman, more than the clothes, made that happen.

Feeling a bit on the smug side, Grey settled back in his seat to enjoy himself. This was Irelyn in her element. Where he knew the business side of things, could recognize trends, and knew a winning or losing venture, Irelyn knew people. She could read them, anticipate their actions. She wasn’t a psychic, but she was as close to being one as he’d ever seen.

Much of her talent was a natural, God-given ability. Hill Reed had identified that gift early on, then whittled and honed it down for his own evil desires. But she was strong—much stronger than Grey in many respects. She had taken what Reed had taught her, cut the evil away, and through sheer determination, created something good and honorable.

“These three here.” She pointed at a grouping of names. “They headed companies that merged the year prior to Grey’s purchase. The top executive of each company was given only a meager severance package. When Grey took over, he repaired that retroactively.” She turned back to the group. “They need to be removed from this list. They shouldn’t be suspects.”

Before anyone could comment, she went through the remaining names and gave her opinion on each one, showing not only her knowledge of the Grey Justice corporations, but also that she had intimate knowledge of each business deal.

Grey gazed around the room, noting both surprise and admiration. Even Gallagher seemed suitably impressed.

“These three, Bob Donaldson, Miles Petrie, and Joe Morrissey are the ones you should concentrate your efforts on,” she said.

“Why those three?” Kathleen asked.

“What happened with them was while I was away. I wasn’t involved in the meetings, so I don’t know them. The rest in this bunch were pleased, satisfied. They may have not publicly proclaimed their happiness, but in private, they were happy with the deal they made with Grey. Some were even ecstatic.” She threw Grey a laughing glance that looked so much like the old Irelyn, he literally caught his breath. “Remember Mr. Farnsworth, who kept sending you fruit baskets, chocolates, and champagne until you asked him to stop?”

Grey was so mesmerized and focused on Irelyn that he almost missed the shock in Gallagher’s eyes. She rarely let down her guard to allow people to see the real Irelyn. He loved that she had allowed a crack in her armor long enough for others to see the woman beneath the veneer.

An unusual wave of longing hit him. He thrived on challenges, enjoyed the thrill of making deals in the business world and pursuing justice in his private world. But he wanted this over with. The threats would never go away completely. As long as he stayed in the public eye, he would always be a target. That was a risk he accepted. But he and Irelyn needed downtime—they needed time to be alone. She had said last night that she wanted them to be just Irelyn and Grey, just for a little while. He damn well wanted that, too.

He went to join Irelyn at the front of the room. “I agree with Irelyn on the three she’s pointed out.”

She glanced up at him. “Even though I wasn’t involved in the meetings, I remember discussing both the Petrie and Donaldson deals with you before I left. I know nothing about Morrissey, though.”

Grey nodded. “I thought it was going smoothly but the deal went sour a few months ago. I had the choice of backing out and letting a lot of good people suffer or doing a complete takeover.”

“I remember reading about him,” Kennedy said. “Didn’t he use his employees’ pension fund to buy his mistress a house in Italy?”

“He did that and much more. He’s under indictment and will likely go to prison. But there were over four hundred employees who didn’t deserve to lose their retirement.”

Grey had no issues with letting an idiot run his own company into the ground for his own selfish desires. He did, however, have issues with others suffering because of one man’s stupidity.

“You bailed his employees out,” Nick said.

“Yes. That’s not why he’s pissed. He couldn’t care less about them. He’s furious because he knows I alerted the authorities that he was about to flee the country. He was arrested at the airport. He’s out on bail now.”

“So he’s not angry about his business,” Gabriella said. “He’s angry that he got caught.”

“And he holds me responsible.”

“But does he have enough money left to hire a hit man?”

“Yes. He’s hidden money all over Europe. That’s for others to worry about. But I’m quite sure he’s got enough to hire an assassin if he so desires.

“There’s another reason he’s at the top of my list. He stopped me at the Abernathy event. Insisted we needed to talk. Took me a few minutes to get away from him. That could’ve been a delaying tactic.”

“So he might’ve stalled you, giving the shooter time to get to another location.” Irelyn said.

It was a distinct possibility. Morrissey had little hope left. He would definitely serve time for his greed and heartlessness. What better way to get his revenge than to destroy the man he held responsible for his downfall?

“Let’s keep our eyes open but concentrate heavily on these three for now. Kennedy, I’d like you take on Morrissey. Charlie, dig into Donaldson. And Gabby, see what you can find out about Petrie. Follow the contacts and the money.”

“And if it’s not one of those three men?” Kathleen asked.

“Then we come up with another way to find the culprit,” Grey answered. “Assassins are patient by nature. Fortunately, the people who purchase their services aren’t. We might have to force their hand again.”

“What’s the plan for you, Grey?” Kennedy asked. “Will you lie low until we can identify him?”

He’d given this a lot of thought over the last few hours. Irelyn likely wouldn’t like his solution, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him. She was putting on a good front for everyone, but she was still suffering, both physically and emotionally. Added to that was their need to reconnect. Her admission that she had lost trust in him hadn’t been that much of a surprise. Her actions over the last two years bore that out. Knowing that and hearing it from her mouth were two different things. He’d felt as if someone had taken a machete to his heart. He wanted to regain what they had lost.

Refusing to even allow for an argument, he locked eyes with Irelyn as he answered Kennedy’s question. “Irelyn and I are going away together.”

He saw her surprise and figured she was about to give him a dressing-down for making that decision for her. He didn’t give her a chance. Turning back to the rest of the group, he added, “I have a few things to take care of today. After that, I can work from a remote location. If anything urgent needs attending, Gallagher will be my liaison for all things connected to the Grey Justice Group.”

He stopped talking and waited for an explosion. It never came. He looked back over at Irelyn and smiled. Her brow was arched, and her eyes gleamed with amusement, letting him know she recognized his highhandedness. She didn’t say a word to refute him.

Feeling more optimistic by the moment, he glanced around the room. “Any questions?”

He waited a few seconds, and when no one said anything, he stood. “Thank you all for your help. I know we’d all rather be doing something besides this. Hopefully, it’ll get resolved soon and we can go on to more important things.”

Charlie stood and threw the group one of her charming grins. “I’ll be the brown-noser of the bunch and say something we’re all thinking. There’s nothing more important than protecting our boss.”

The room exploded in laughter, lessening the seriousness of the meeting, ending on the right tone. He noted that Kennedy and Irelyn spoke quietly to each other for several moments, and then Kennedy hugged her before walking out of the room.

With the exception of Grey and Irelyn, the room was empty. Figuring she had waited till everyone left before she started arguing about going away together, he fired the first shot.

“You know as well as I do that you will be a target, too. Getting out of town and sticking together is the best way to ensure that we both survive.”

“I agree,” she said mildly. “While you’re wrapping things up, I’m going to see Dr. Tobin. I have an appointment with her this afternoon.”

Her agreement was almost too easy, but he would definitely not complain.

“Sounds good. Terrance can take you.”

She nodded and walked toward the door, stopping at the entrance. “Grey, what you said about trusting me more than anyone. Is that true?”

“Do I ever say things I don’t mean?”

“No.”

“Well, then.”

Biting her lip as if she wanted to say something else but couldn’t, she merely said, “Thank you.”

He had hoped for more, perhaps an assertion that she felt the same way. He knew it wasn’t going to be that easy to regain her trust. Time together would help.

“You and Kennedy get things ironed out?”

“I asked her to wait for me in the living room. I owe her an explanation and an apology.”

“She’s not angry with you.”

“No, but that’s because she’s Kennedy. Nick, on the other hand, is furious, and rightly so.”

“He’s protective of her. It’s what people who love each other do.”

“Yes, I know.” The look she gave him before walking out spoke volumes.

Grey blew out a huge, ragged sigh. Nothing with Irelyn was ever easy. And he was far from easy himself. Whatever was whirling around in that beautiful head of hers would eventually come out. He had days to make that happen.

A little smile tugged at his mouth. Damned if he wasn’t feeling remarkably chipper for a man marked for death.