Twelve hours later, they sat together in the small hangar attached to the airport. Grey had managed to contact the local authorities and have the bodies taken care of with a minimum of fuss. Years ago, when they’d first built the house, she and Grey had made a point of getting to know local law enforcement. A mutual respect for each other had helped ease their way today. There would still likely be more questions, but thankfully, they had been allowed to leave.

Both she and Grey had been sewn up and bandaged at a small clinic. Most of their injuries had been superficial, but the gash on her thigh had required eleven stitches, and the cut on Grey’s hand had required seven. All in all, considering what might have happened, she knew they’d gotten out quite well.

Lily, their pilot, was due to land in Colorado within the hour. They would then fly to England, where they would confront Sebastian Dark one final time. He would know by now that his plan hadn’t worked.

Grey’s eyes roamed over her. “How are you feeling?”

“Not too bad, considering.”

“Lily should be here soon.”

“Do you think we’ll be able to fly out of here?”

A monster snowstorm was imminent for half of the state. Though they were in a small area specified for private air travel, a large group of corporate executives and their families were flying back from a retreat. Dozens of travelers milled around the terminal, their expressions varying from weariness to frustration. Parents, looking both harried and exhausted, tried to entertain young children as they waited to hear word about their flight. Getting out before the blizzard struck was a concern for everyone.

“If we can’t, no worries. I’ve already booked a hotel room just in case. Lily’s grandmother lives about fifteen miles from here. She’ll relish being able to spend time with her.”

“But—”

He squeezed her hand. “I know you want to go after him, but if he was going to rabbit, he’s already done so. A delay because of this storm isn’t going to make a difference.”

He was right. Dark had to know that if she and Grey survived his siege, they’d come after him. If he went into hiding, it would be immediately after he learned his men had not been successful.

“You’re right. Guess I just want it over with.”

“Believe me, I do, too.” He turned her to face him. “We’ll get through this, just like we have before. We’ll bring him to an end. And then we’ll destroy Hill House.”

“He’ll be prepared for us.”

“We’ll be prepared for him, too. Trust me.”

“I do.”

A smile spread across his face. “Thank you. I won’t ever take your trust for granted again.”

“I think we’ve both learned a hard lesson.”

“We’ve got sixty or so years to get it right.”

That was the second time he’d mentioned the sixty-year time span. Waking up with Grey Justice beside her for the next sixty or so years sounded like heaven.

Feeling more at ease, she stood and worked the stiffness out of her neck and shoulders.

“How the hell can someone look sexy after what you’ve been through today?”

She glanced down at herself. They hadn’t wanted to delay their departure, so she had thrown on the first thing she’d come to in the closet. A long-sleeved red dress and black boots.

“I don’t look like Santa?”

He gave a crack of laughter. “The sexiest Santa I’ve ever seen.”

Grey, on the other hand, looked both sophisticated and as hard as nails. Dressed in jeans and a black turtleneck sweater, he would fit in at the most elegant of restaurants and yet looked tough enough to take down an army of killers. He was the epitome of stylishly lethal.

An odd, dark, ominous feeling washed over her. Suddenly feeling chilled, she shivered.

“You’re cold. Want some coffee?”

“Sounds perfect.”

He stood and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Coffee light with two sugars coming up.”

She watched him walk away and, for some unknown reason, wanted to call him back. Another moment of foreboding poured through her.

“Grey?”

He turned slightly. “Yeah?”

“Hurry back. Okay?”

He threw her a wink. “Be right back.”

She watched him disappear into the crowd. The coffee line was likely backed up, and she doubted he’d return as quickly as he’d promised. Maybe she should have gone with him.

Shaking her head at her unusual anxiety she forced herself to sit back down on the cold seat. It was just the aftermath of everything that had happened. She had survived a gun battle and accepted a marriage proposal. That was enough to shake up anyone.

“Hello, Ms. Raine.”

Irelyn stiffened at the crisp British voice behind her. She started to turn but stopped when he said, “No, just keep facing forward. We wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt.”

She took the threat at face value and did as he said. “How do you know my name?”

“Oh, I know many things about you, Ms. Raine.”

Accepting the inevitability of whom this man was associated with, she asked, “What do you want?”

“Mr. Dark would like to see you.”

“Tell Mr. Dark he can go fu—”

“Now, now. No need to be crude. He just wants a chance to chat with you.”

“Considering the man sent several of his goons to try to kill me, why would I meet with him?”

“Hmm. Several reasons, actually. Do you see that charming young couple two rows over with the boy sitting between them?”

Irelyn’s gaze went immediately to the small family. She had watched them a few minutes ago, enchanted by the dark-haired little boy’s infectious grin.

Her throat dry as toast, she said, “Yes.”

“See the spotted stuffed dog in his arms?”

“Yes.”

“Now notice how one of the red dots isn’t like the others.”

Her heart stopped. A red dot was moving all around the dog and occasionally onto the child’s arm.

“I’m not buying that anyone could have walked into this airport with a gun big enough to have a laser sight on it.”

“That’s a valid point. Would you like further proof? Perhaps a demonstration? Henre would be happy to oblige.”

“Henre?”

“Henre Ballard. I believe you know him.”

Yes, she knew quite a lot about Henre Ballard. If Dark had not contacted her when he had, to invite her to Hill House, Henre would have been Irelyn’s next target. Ballard, like the other assassins she had killed, had a reputation for accepting contracts that included children.

“Yes, I know of Henre.”

“Then you know he has no qualms about doing away with a child. But just in case you’re not convinced that you need to come with me, take a look at the email account you use to communicate with Sister Nadeen.”

Cold dread filling her, she pulled her cellphone from her pocket and clicked on the email account. She had one message from an unknown sender. There were no words, but the video attachment was more than enough. Sister Nadeen sat in a wooden chair. Her torso and legs were tied, but her arms were free. In them was a sleeping child, Somer Dumas.

It didn’t matter how Dark had found out about them. Nothing mattered but saving them. “What do you want me to do?”

“Follow me.”

She stood, noting that she could now see Grey standing at the coffee bar, waiting for his order. She had to leave without alerting him. If he saw her, he would try to stop her, or he would try to take down Dark’s man. She couldn’t take the chance. Sister Nadeen and Somer would die. She had no doubt about that.

With one last longing glance in Grey’s direction, Irelyn walked through the crowded airport and out the door.

* * *

Grey watched the video feed five times, ensuring he hadn’t missed anything. Irelyn had left the airport with a man in a sheepskin jacket and sunglasses. He had worn a skullcap and kept his face turned away from the cameras, so identifying him using facial recognition would be tough. Irelyn, on the other hand, had looked directly at the camera and mouthed the word Dark right before she walked out the door. Seconds later, a black limo drove up and the back door had opened. The instant Irelyn put a foot inside the vehicle, the man with her had jabbed something into her neck. She had fallen forward and the car door had closed. The man then got into the front passenger seat, and the limo drove away. The windows were dark, the license plate missing.

When he had returned with their coffee and she hadn’t been there, he had known something was wrong. Even if she had gone to the restroom, she would have texted him or called. Knowing every second counted, he’d run to the small security office and asked them to show him the video feed for the last fifteen minutes.

His cellphone buzzed. Grey nodded his thanks to the young security man who’d helped him and stalked out of the security area.

“What’d you find, Charlie?”

“Her phone is no longer active. I don’t know if it’s turned off or disabled.”

“Can you access anything?”

“I didn’t see any recent phone calls or texts, but I uncovered a couple of email accounts. They’re old ones. Doesn’t look like she uses them a lot. Most of it’s junk mail, but she got an email about an hour ago that you need to see. I’ve sent it to you.”

“Thanks, Charlie. I’ll be back with you soon.”

Clicking on the email, Grey watched the attached video. He already knew who was responsible for Irelyn leaving, and now he knew why she’d gone without a fight. He also knew one other thing—she was heading to her death.