“The intel is credible?” The question was rhetorical. Gibson would never dare come to him without verifiable proof.

“Do you remember Ivy Roane?”

How could he forget the woman Reed had created to ease his obsession with Irelyn Raine? The woman had been a pale imitation and a liability from the start.

“Yes, but what does Roane have to do with finding Raine and Justice?”

“She left detailed notes on all her contracts. The last one was the Mendoza and Bianchi debacle.”

Debacle indeed. She had played everyone against one another, and in the end, everyone but the target had been killed, including Roane.

“Mendoza’s granddaughter was hidden away in a house in the Colorado mountains. The house is owned by various shell corporations. Every time we uncover one, it leads to another one.”

The people who worked for him knew that he was not a tolerant man. He had eliminated more than one employee for trying his patience. “Get to the point, Gibson.”

The man’s Adam’s apple convulsed as he took a nervous gulp. “Yes, sir. It’s a bit complicated, sir, but the point is, Jonah Slater is rumored to be closely associated with Justice. We believe Justice provided this place as a safe house to Slater and the Mendoza woman.”

“And what makes you think Raine and Justice are there, in Colorado?”

Breathing a little easier, Gibson went on. “Justice has three houses in his name, Raine has two. They also have one together in Italy. There’s been no activity at any of these houses, so we know they didn’t go there.”

“And?”

“When Justice’s private plane left Dallas, the pilot had to file a flight plan. It’s taken a few days to find someone to hack the records. We—”

“Gibson,” he warned.

“Sorry, sir. Um.” He looked down as if checking his notes. The man was a brilliant researcher, but had no stones when it came to this kind of work. Maybe he should just kill him right here, right now. Release a little tension. Maybe he should—

“They flew to Colorado, sir.”

Thoughts of eliminating Gibson disappeared from his mind. In fact, he might just give the man a bonus.

“Send me the information. I’ll take it from here.”

“Yes, sir, thank you.” The man practically ran from the room.

Sebastian waited until the door closed behind Gibson to do a triumphant fist pump. It was going to happen. Grey Justice would soon have a new claim to fame. Murdered billionaire. It was going to be a spectacular takedown. While his people had been trying to find them, Sebastian had been busy planning. He was a detailed, meticulous—some might say anal-retentive—planner who left nothing to chance.

Justice would die, and Sebastian Dark would claim victory.

And then he could concentrate on something lovelier, something deliciously dark and deadly. He would have Irelyn Raine brought here, back to where she had begun. It was only fitting that the justice she so deserved be meted out here. He already had everything prepared. He just needed his unwilling participant.

* * *

Lying in bed with Irelyn, wrapped in each other’s arms, Grey stared into the darkness. Her easy, shallow breathing told him she was in a deep, dreamless sleep. That was a miracle in itself. Too many nights he had held her as nightmares overtook her, tortured her. They had lessened through the years, but on occasion, they would attack without warning. When he was with her, he could bring her back, ground her in reality. When she had been away from him, he knew she had battled them on her own. He didn’t want that to ever happen again.

They had talked about the future, but only in abstract ways. He wanted something more, something different than what they’d had. Something concrete. What that looked like, he wasn’t quite sure yet. He knew only that whatever she faced, whether it was a nightmare she needed to be woken from, or an endangered child she needed to save, he wanted to be with her.

This week had been a good start. It had been all about them, all about being together, working together. Tomorrow afternoon, they would go to the airport, where their plane would be waiting. They would fly into London, gather the supplies they needed, and then they’d move on Dark. There would be no going back.

Once they’d settled on their plans, they had agreed to let it go. Tomorrow would take care of itself. Tonight had been all about Irelyn and Grey. They had laughed and talked, watched a movie, ate popcorn, lay in front of the fireplace, dreaming and making love. It had been magical, beautiful. He wanted more of those moments. An eternity would not be enough. He wanted days on end of blissful—

A shrill alarm blared in the darkness. Grey and Irelyn sprang from the bed as one. No time for questions, no need to ask who or why. They had trained for this for years. It had been a while since they'd had practice drills, but he had no doubts about their preparedness.

“How much time do we have?” Irelyn asked.

“Ten minutes.”

“You think it’s Dark?”

“Does it matter?”

“No, guess not.”

“Let's move, then.” An unexpected anxiety hit him. He grabbed her arm before he could stop himself. “We can leave. We don't have to do this.”

“Stop trying to protect me, Justice. I don't back away from a fight. And if you think I'd let you face this alone, you don't know me.”

“Yes, I do, Irelyn. I always have.”

Not waiting for a response, he went to the closet and pulled on a pair of black pants and a long-sleeved T-shirt. Knowing she was getting dressed, too, he called out as he left the room, “Meet me in the sanctuary.”

He ran down the hallway and took the stairs three at a time. Going to the back of the house, he keyed a code into the keypad next to the pantry door beside the kitchen. Another door swung open. He stepped inside, turned on the overhead light. They had named this room the very opposite of what it was. Weapons of all kinds covered the walls. Several steel chests held drawers filled with grenades, flash bangs, C-4, stun guns, and Tasers. A variety of handguns were within easy reach in a glass casing. A countertop displayed an assortment of knives.

There was no telling how many were coming, but they were prepared for an army. Their arsenal had been built over time, and it was a good one. Anything beyond a nuclear war, they were equipped and ready to engage.

He sensed Irelyn come in behind him. Turning, he took in her apparel, glad to see she had chosen to dress in a similar fashion, though she looked a damn sight sexier.

She gazed around the room. “You've added a few more items.”

“Yeah.” He threw a bulletproof vest her way and then slipped into one himself. Grabbing an HK237, he watched as she removed an M16 from the wall and handled the weapon like she'd been born with one in her hand.

A glance at the cameras showed the intruders’ progress. Three large trucks were parked outside the perimeter. It was Dark’s people. No one else would have sent this many men.

“Ready?”

He turned to face Irelyn, his warrior woman. She was dressed in black, her hair pulled back in a low ponytail, holding an M16, and he didn’t think he’d ever seen anyone more beautiful or capable.

Though they had set up these safeguards in every house they owned, he couldn’t resist asking, “You know what to do if we get separated? Where to go?”

“Yes. And no heroics from you, big guy. Got it? We do this together.”

He smiled. “Yes, ma’am.” Grabbing her shoulders, he gave her a long, hard kiss.

She returned his kiss with equal fervor and then said softly, “Let’s get rid of these bastards so we can go back to bed.”

Grinning, he took two earbuds from a drawer. Handing her one, he inserted the other into his ear. “Sound check.”

She gave a quick, affirmative nod and said, “Loud and clear.”

There were so many things he wanted to say to her right now. There was no guarantee they would come out of this alive. They both knew that. Even though they’d faced this kind of challenge in the past, this one was more personal than any others. Dark was the spawn of Hill Reed and was just as evil. Ending him would put some finality to Irelyn’s painful past.

Still, he couldn’t just send her off without saying something. “Irelyn, you know that I—”

“Save it for later, Justice.” Warmth turned her eyes a shimmering gray. “When I can fully appreciate it.”

“It’s a date.”

Weapons loaded, they walked out the door together.