Grey raised his binoculars and scanned the perimeter of the estate. The surrounding area was densely forested, providing the perfect cover. With him were five of the deadliest mercenaries in the business, sanctioned by the Justice Seekers for jobs such as these. This was not a Grey Justice Group operation. This was his mission.

The orders he had given them were simple. Take down everyone except for Sebastian Dark. The bastard was all Grey’s.

The new residence was a much smaller version of Hill House and had been aptly named Dark House. The man had tried to emulate every aspect of Hill Reed, and this was just one more. Irelyn had pegged him correctly. He had no thought of his own that wasn't influenced by what Hill Reed had taught him.

It had taken too damn long to find him. And when he had been found, it’d taken weeks to study him. Others might have gone in and massacred the entire household. Grey could not do that. If Dark was copying everything that Hill Reed had done, that could mean he had brought children into the house. Damned if he would allow any other innocents to be killed or harmed because of this bastard. It might have taken longer than he liked, but at least he was now assured that the only people within that house were almost as evil as its owner.

Leaving Irelyn five days into their honeymoon had felt like he was flaying his own skin from his body. She hadn’t wanted him to do this alone. Had tried to convince him that she should come with him, that they should do this together. He had never even considered her suggestion. Yes, she was more than capable, but this was his battle to wage. Sebastian Dark had tortured the woman he loved, had almost killed her. He had sent Irelyn’s only brother to kill Grey, forcing her to make a heartbreaking choice. Dark had also been responsible for the accident that had almost killed Lacey Slater.

Sebastian Dark had to be stopped. If Grey didn't kill him, he would continue to copy Hill Reed. What he had told the council was true. Annihilating Dark would destroy Reed’s legacy. All of that ended today.

They had been watching the house and surrounding area for weeks. From his count, twelve people were inside. The five that guarded the perimeter had already been taken out with one shot to the head each. The twelve remaining would be no problem for these men. Though he had worked with them over the last few days and had seen their humanity, Grey knew that when it came down to the actual job, they could be just as ruthless and soulless as Dark’s men.

That worked just right for him. He wasn’t here on a mercy mission. He was here, just as they were, to destroy.

Sebastian Dark was finished in the world of assassins. Word was that he was considered a blemish on their community. All he had left was his money and his delusions.

He glanced at the men beside him. “Let's do this.”

With the swift precision of expertly trained soldiers, three of them ran to the back of the house. Grey gave a nod to the remaining men, and they both took off running. One of the men placed C-4 on the door lock and stepped back. Grey checked his watch. They would go in four, three, two…he nodded. The door exploded, and they all ran into the building.

* * *

Sebastian sprang from his bed. The Smith & Wesson M&P Shield that he had taken to sleeping with was in his hand in an instant. They were here. He’d heard rumors, of course. Just because he’d been banned from the community didn’t mean he couldn’t find out what was going on. Everyone, apparently, wanted him dead.

They could try to kill him, but they wouldn’t touch a hair on his head. He had been planning for this very thing. He had more contingency plans than anyone could ever guess. He had money stashed all over the world. He had locations in both Europe and the US. He had an army to protect him.

He had no intention of dying, and the community that shunned him today would someday come crawling to him, begging for the chance to become a Dark House assassin.

He had made a mistake not following Reed in all things. But that would soon change. While others had been searching for him, he had been hidden away learning and planning. Reed had developed many of his own people by taking in children and training them himself. Sebastian had never considered such a thing, mostly because he despised the little buggers. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t work with them, teach them. He had been trained in that way. There was no reason he couldn’t do the same thing. He would be the new Hill Reed. The children would revere and fear him, call him Father. And someday, they would kill for him.

Silly men might play their games, but Sebastian Dark would have the last laugh.

He ran to the control room next to his bedroom and switched on the video feed. There were only six intruders. His men would handle them without any problems. In fact, he was a little surprised that they’d been able to get near the house. When this was over, he’d have a very stern talk with the guards who’d allowed them to get this close.

It didn’t really matter who was behind this raid. There were many who would pay for the privilege of taking down the infamous Sebastian Dark. Still, he couldn’t help but hope that Justice and Raine were involved. He had been busy and put off going after them. He’d heard they’d gotten married, which made him want to kill them even more.

He pulled on his protective gear and armed himself. They would never make it to his private quarters, but it never hurt to be prepared just in case. He glanced back at the cameras displaying the inside of the house. Why was it so quiet? His men should be running through the hallways, shooting everyone in their path. What was taking them so long?

He switched camera views, and with each new scan, his concern grew. Several of his guards were lying on the floor. It was to be expected that he would lose a few, and that was no matter. He would get more. But where were the intruders? Were they dead somewhere else? It was as if they had been apparitions and had disappeared as quickly as they’d come.

What was happening out there? Should he wait here until the all clear sounded? Should he hide inside his safe room? He’d hired men to guard him, so it really wasn’t his responsibility to check on them. He went to the door and chewed his lip in indecision.

He could hear his father’s voice deriding him, telling him to stop being a coward, to go check things out.

He wasn’t a coward. He wasn’t.

Opening the bedroom door, he peered out into the hallway. A man lay facedown not five feet from his door. Blood pooled around his head. Again, one of his guards. Sebastian released a disgusted huff. Imbecile.

He was about to step into the hallway when something made him stop. Was that a shadow? Was someone coming his way? It didn’t matter if it was one of his men, he couldn’t take the chance. He fired several shots in the general direction and ducked back into the bedroom.

* * *

Grey nodded his thanks to the mercenaries who had helped him and watched as they walked out of the house, their job finished. In a matter of moments, they had achieved their objectives. Now there was only one target left, and he was Grey’s to handle.

He headed down the hallway, toward Dark’s room. The shots the idiot had fired had penetrated the wall. No one had been anywhere close. The man might not realize it, but he was spiraling out of control. Shooting and hoping to hit something was the mark of desperation.

Not only had Grey procured blueprints of this house, three days ago a tech security specialist had hacked into the security cameras. Grey had had the luxury of watching Sebastian Dark inside his home. He knew where he slept, what he ate for breakfast, and what he watched on television. Grey also knew about the secret room—the one that no one other than Dark was supposed to know about.

Stopping outside the bedroom door, Grey took a moment to listen. He heard what sounded like heavy breathing and then the sound of a door clicking shut. He smiled. The coward had gone into his safe room sooner than he’d thought he would.

Still cautious, Grey opened the door. Decorated in browns and charcoal, the room was as dark and depressing as a cave. The four-poster bed was unmade and had the look of someone who’d had a restless night. Considering the nightmares Irelyn suffered from, the thought of Dark having them made Grey feel better.

Seeing no one in the room, Grey went into the security room and pressed a red button on one of the control panels. A screen appeared with a keypad. He held his gun at the ready as he entered the sequence of numbers he’d seen Dark enter the night before. A second later, the door swung open on its hinges.

In a matter of seconds, Grey took in his surroundings. If his thoughts weren’t as dark as the man he was hunting, he might have laughed. This was no safe room, this was a full-fledged apartment complete with a bed, entertainment center, kitchen, and bath. Dark was prepared to live here for months. That wasn’t going to be necessary.

Bullets whizzed toward him, missing him. Grey didn’t give him another chance. Firing rapidly, he ran toward the man he could see stooped behind a leather recliner. The thuds of his bullets hitting the leather echoed through the room.

Staying on his haunches, Dark half crawled, half scooted toward another barrier, this time a coffee table that he upended and hid behind. Grey kept moving forward, ducking behind various pieces of furniture for cover when necessary but never stopping.

“Don’t come any closer!”

“Give it up, Dark. You’re not getting away this time.”

“How did you get in here?” He sounded both frustrated and furious.

“Guess your security isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.”

Giving him no time to respond, Grey was on him in a second. Plucking him out of his hiding place, he jabbed his fist into the man’s face, knocking him backward. With a roar, Dark came at him. Fists flew right and left, blood spewed, splattering the carpet and walls.

They dove into each other like feral animals, neither of them giving any quarter. Dark slammed a fist into Grey’s mouth, and Grey returned the favor. Oddly enough, he was glad the man could fight. It would make taking him down all the sweeter.

Dark kicked out, grazing Grey’s ribs with his steel-toed boot. Grey took advantage, grabbing the bastard’s leg and twisting hard. He felt the pop and Dark howled like a banshee.

Dark dropped to the floor, scrambling backward on his ass. “You broke my leg,” he screamed.

In his mind, Grey saw the image of Irelyn lying on the floor of Hill House, her leg broken because of this bastard. “Good.”

Dark slid his hand into his pocket and a gleaming knife appeared in his hand. Backing up against the wall, he braced himself against it and stood.

“Come and get me.”

Grey smiled. “My pleasure.” Kicking the knife out of his hand, Grey moved on him faster, ruthlessly. Kick to the face, punch to the gut. Dark teetered, his balance off, his eyes glassy.

Grey told himself to finish it. No matter how pitiful and helpless the bastard appeared right now, the evil would never stop until he was dead. He raised his fist for the killing blow.

Slumping slightly, Dark looked away from him and cried out, “Wait! Please. It’s not my fault. Hill made me this way. Just like he did Irelyn.”

The words penetrated, striking Grey where he was most vulnerable. What Dark spoke was true. Irelyn had told him that he had suffered the same things she had endured. Sebastian Dark was a product of what Hill Reed had made him.

Grey hesitated.

In a flash, a small whip appeared in Dark’s hand. He slashed out toward Grey, who managed to move in time to miss the brunt of it. Part of it still caught him on the side, leaving a stinging, bloody slice in his flesh.

“Son of a bitch!” Grey snarled.

The twisted smile on Dark’s face was more evil than any Grey had ever witnessed. He might have once been an abused little boy, but he had developed into a man who had nothing but evil left inside him. Without a moment’s hesitation, Grey grabbed the whip from Dark’s hand and then slammed his head into the wall behind him. Dark’s body slithered to the floor. His eyes were open, a surprised look frozen on his face.

Grey leaned over and checked for a pulse at his neck, his wrist. Assured that he was dead, Grey walked out of the mansion without a second glance. It was over, finished. The darkness that had stalked he and Irelyn for so long was finally over.

He could now return to the woman he adored, and their life could truly begin.