A Matter Of Justice (Grey Justice #4)(14)

She scrunched her nose up in a grimace. “Yes and no. My date decided that groping was acceptable first-date behavior. I was more than happy to send him on his way with only a few bruises.”

“He hurt you?”

She laughed softly. “You know me better than that, Grey. He’s the one with the bruises.”

Yes, he did know she could take care of herself, but he had a particular soft spot for the youngest Slater. Not only was she one of the Grey Justice Group’s best handlers, she was as genuine and upfront as anyone he’d ever met. She was also loyal to a fault.

“You need a ride home?”

“You read my mind.”

“I was on my way out. Did you want to stay longer?”

“Not in the least. These kinds of events are so boring.” Her eyes glinted with laughter. “Guess I shouldn’t admit that since you were being honored tonight.”

His hand on her shoulder to steer her toward the exit, he laughed. “I happen to agree with you.”

Several groups of people stopped them along the way. Some offered congratulations, a couple tried to engage him in conversation, and one sought financial advice. He handled each encounter as quickly and smoothly as possible. Much to the dismay of several, he never stopped moving.

There were more than a few speculative glances at Lacey at his side. Tomorrow’s tabloid blogs would be rife with innuendoes and suppositions about their relationship. He couldn’t care less about his own reputation, but exposing Lacey to more publicity wasn’t something he wanted.

“There’s going to be all sorts of speculation if we leave together. Sure you don’t want me to find you another ride?”

“Don’t be silly. After all the Slaters have been through, being in Grey Justice’s company can only help my reputation.”

“I’m not sure Eli and Jonah would agree.”

“Ha. My brothers trust you much more than they trust me.”

“They worry about you.”

“They need to stop. Accepting that I’m a grown woman is taking them longer than it should.”

Grey shook his head. “I think you made that point clear when you were Gabriella’s handler. They saw you in a different light.”

“Yeah, well, that light has dimmed in the last few months.”

He handed the valet his ticket and walked with her over to a secluded corner. “What’s going on?”

She grimaced. “It’s nothing for you to be concerned about, really. They just won’t stay out of my business.”

“You mean your love life.”

Lacey snorted. “What love life?”

“Kingston?”

The brief flash of pain in her eyes confirmed his thoughts. Wyatt Kingston was one of the most valuable and skilled freelance operatives Grey had ever worked with, but when it came to bullheadedness, he was on a whole different plane altogether.

“Want me to kick his ass for you?”

“Thanks. If kicking his ass could solve the problem, I would have done it long ago. It’s his heart I’m having trouble with.”

Lacey was wrong about that. Wyatt Kingston’s heart was already taken. He was just too damned stubborn to do anything about it.

“He’ll come around.”

She shot him a curious look. “Not every woman will wait forever, Grey.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just what I said.”

Before he could delve deeper into her comment, a large, bony hand grabbed hold of his forearm. “Justice, we need to talk.”

Instead of answering, he stared pointedly at the hand. His silence spoke volumes.

The hand was swiftly removed, and the man took a step back as if he feared physical retaliation. That wouldn’t happen.

“We’ve said all we need to say, Morrissey.”

“I know what you did. I know it was you.”

“You think I’m going to deny it? I’m not.”

“I’m losing everything because of you.”

“Because of me?” Grey arched a brow, his look so arrogant, Caesar himself would’ve been impressed. “I don’t believe I’m the one who stole millions of dollars from my employees’ pension fund. You’ll pay for your crimes, Morrissey, as you should.”

“You think you’re so above it all, don’t you, Justice? I’ll have you know—” He went to grab Grey’s arm again.

“Don’t even think about it.”

The man quickly dropped his arm and backed away again.

“I suggest you find a ride home and sober up, Morrissey.”

The man sent a self-conscious glance around the room, as if suddenly realizing he was attracting the wrong kind of attention.

“Is there a problem here?” One of the many security people had heard their exchange. He had a trained military look about him that said he could handle anything that came his way.

“No, there’s no problem.” Grey looked over at the angry man in front of him. “Is there, Morrissey?”

“No, no problem,” he answered quickly.

The man nodded but didn’t budge. Morrissey swallowed hard, glared at Grey, and then took another step back.

“Mr. Justice, sorry it took so long, sir.” The valet ran toward him. “Your car is ready now.”