A Matter Of Justice (Grey Justice #4)(17)

Shaking off the sadness, Irelyn removed her clothes and stepped into the shower. The hot, steamy water should loosen her tired muscles and enable her to sleep. She never slept deeply while on a job, but she needed as much rest as she could allow herself.

She turned off her thoughts and enjoyed the luxury of the cleansing liquid. There were many things she would never take for granted and a hot shower was one of them. In their early years, when it seemed like the whole world was against both of them, cleanliness, like a good meal, had been a luxury.

She was stepping out of the shower stall when a breaking-news alert on the television caught her attention. Did she hear Grey’s name mentioned, or was she missing him so much her mind had conjured his name?

Irelyn dashed into the bedroom. Standing in front of the television, still dripping from her shower, she stared at the screen. The over-polished, toothy reporter was giving information on an upcoming news story, but there was nothing about Grey. Had she just imagined it after all?

She clicked on another news channel and then another. Nothing. She was being silly. So what if they had mentioned Grey’s name? He was in the news all the time. Multibillion-dollar mergers and acquisitions were often big news items, and Grey was involved in many. It was probably nothing more than that. Still, she searched, returning to the same channel where she’d first thought she’d heard his name. Her breath caught when a photograph of Grey appeared on the screen.

“Repeating our earlier story: Billionaire philanthropist Grey Justice and an unknown companion were involved in a one-car accident this evening in Dallas, Texas. As yet, there is no news on their condition. The cause of the accident is under investigation. This is a developing story, and we’ll keep you informed as we learn more.”

She told herself it was a minor fender bender and nothing more. Just because the story had made international news wasn’t that unusual. Everything was reported on these days, even the small things. She told herself she would know if something major had happened to him. She would know. Her gut, her heart, her soul would know.

Grabbing a burner phone from her stash, she punched in Grey’s number.

“Justice,” a voice growled.

Her breath caught in her throat, and it was several seconds before she could speak.

“Irelyn?”

She had called from a burner phone with an unknown number, but still he would know. That was just Grey.

She finally managed to speak. “You’re okay?”

“Yes.”

“What happened?”

“Rifle shot. Caused complete failure of steering and brakes. We hit a concrete wall.”

“We?”

“Lacey Slater was with me.”

“Is she okay?”

“No.”

With that one word, she heard the fury.

“She’s not—”

“She’s alive. She’s in surgery.”

“I’m sorry, Grey. I know her family must be devastated.”

“The prognosis is good, but recovery will take a while.”

“And you weren’t injured?”

“A bump on the head, a wrenched shoulder. Getting the bastard behind this will help.”

This wasn’t the first time someone had tried to kill him, but it was the first time she wasn’t there with him to investigate. And to reassure herself that he was truly fine.

“Any idea who and why?”

“Not yet. You have any?”

“No.” She frowned. Was he inferring she might have had something to do with the hit? “Grey, I didn’t—”

“Hell, I know that, Irelyn. But you are associating yourself with that kind again.”

She couldn’t argue with the truth. “I can make some inquiries.”

“No. Stay out of it. I have my people on it.”

Yes, he would, and Grey Justice had a multitude of people who could and would uncover the culprit. He didn’t need her.

“Very well. I’m glad you’re okay. Please give Lacey my best. Goodbye.”

“Wait! Irelyn!”

She disconnected the call on his curse and immediately dismantled the phone. She’d drop the parts in different dumpsters across the city tomorrow. But now she had a new worry. Someone was out to get Grey. Someone new? Or was this an old enemy? She should have heard the news. For obvious reasons, the assassin community was secretive to outsiders, but inside, there were rumors, speculation, and leaks. Her ears were always tuned to anything involving Grey. Why hadn’t she known about this latest contract? More important, who was paying for it?



Dallas Memorial Hospital





Cursing himself for his bluntness and shortsightedness, Grey hit redial. There was no answer and no voice-mail option. Irelyn had called him from a burner phone and had likely disabled it the moment she ended the call.

He was an ass and not proud of it. Irelyn rarely reached out to him anymore. Instead of declining her offer, he should have asked for her help. Not only was she a skilled investigator, he might have persuaded her to return to Dallas. But instead, he went into overprotective mode and rebuffed her offer.

No, he didn’t want her involved, but he damn well wanted to know where she was and what she was doing. When had it gotten so messed up that he couldn’t even talk with her without walking on eggshells? They had been together for so long, their communication had once been seamless. A subtle glance, a light touch, a lift of a brow was all that they had needed to convey their thoughts to one another. And when he’d been blunt, which was all too often, she’d given it right back to him. When had it gotten so complicated?