A Matter Of Justice (Grey Justice #4)(22)

The traveling was getting old, too. Of course, one of the biggest reasons was because many of the destinations were places she and Grey had explored together. Few people knew that Grey Justice had a playful side, and when they went away together, he always found something delightfully entertaining to do. If there was a carnival in town, a play she wanted to see, or a street fair he thought she might like, they had always gone. No one knew her the way Grey did. And no one could ever take Grey’s place.

That was another, even bigger reason she needed to get inside Hill House. The identity of the man or woman who had put out a contract on Grey could be within those walls.

Hill Reed had been a stickler for paper-only records. Every ounce of intel would be in the third-floor records room. Not only would that include every contract Hill House had ever accepted, but the room also contained something even more extraordinary. Few people knew that Hill kept records on contracts not associated with Hill House. His web of intel went far and wide. He’d been in the killing game for years and had known the who and the why of all the major players. Almost nothing went on inside the assassin community that Reed hadn’t known about or kept a record of.

Sebastian Dark had worshipped Hill Reed, obsessively so. Changing a procedure that had been so much a part of Reed’s core belief went against her profile of Dark. He would want to retain as much of his mentor’s legacy as possible, and that included his most notable quirks. Whether Hill House or another assassin had taken the contract, the information on who wanted Grey dead could be in that room.

Problem was, the records room was behind secure, locked doors. It would take stealth and cunning to get in there. But first, she had to actually get inside the house.

The phone in front of her chimed with a new text message. Irelyn tensed. This was the usual delivery method for her assignments. She had completed her last one two days ago and had been hanging around Minneapolis, waiting for further instructions. Where was he sending her now? She clicked on the message and had to blink twice to make sure she’d read the words correctly. But they couldn’t be any clearer.

You’ve passed the tests. Time to come back home. See you Monday morning.

That was it? Was the probation period over, or would she be required to continue to prove herself? Either way, would she be allowed to stay at the house? Since that was her ultimate goal, she needed to do whatever was necessary to ensure that would happen. No matter what was asked of her, she had a plan and she needed to proceed.

Her luggage was already packed and ready to go. She could book a flight and be in Paris by tomorrow evening. There, she could regroup and recharge, ready herself for her meeting at Hill House on Monday.

Still, she hesitated. Even though she couldn’t risk seeing Grey, there was someone else she needed to see. Someone she had hurt without ever intending to do so.

Question was, would she slam the door in her face, as Irelyn deserved? There was only one way to find out. She’d have to fly under an alias and wear a disguise, but that was nothing new.

Refusing to contemplate further, she took a burner phone from her collection. Accessing an airline Irelyn Raine had never used, she booked the next flight to Dallas.





Chapter Nine





Dallas, Texas





Kennedy Gallagher kissed her baby daughter’s tiny foot and nibbled on her toe, delighting in the wonderful sound of baby giggles. Bath time was a treasured morning ritual.

Nick had left a few minutes ago, headed out of town for a few days on special assignment. Even though she missed him already, she had finally overcome, for the most part, the terror of watching him walk out the door. Losing Thomas, her first husband, so unexpectedly had left a huge amount of insecurity when it came to her loved ones. Each time she said goodbye, she was reminded that it could be the last time she saw them. Maudlin, yes, but overcoming the need to grab on for dear life had been a real struggle.

Thankfully, Nick, with his amazing ability to read her, understood. He called frequently throughout the day. He always seemingly had a reason, but she knew him well, too. One of the million reasons she adored Nick Gallagher was his incredible compassion.

Noticing that Isabella’s eyes were fluttering sleepily, Kennedy picked her up and settled her in her crib. If she timed it right, she could do a load of laundry, put away the breakfast dishes, and get in an hour of research, too. Her job with the Grey Justice Group gave her the flexibility to complete her work in her time frame. Nap time for Isabella meant work time for her.

Just as she headed downstairs, the doorbell rang. Though her mind was on the various things she wanted to get accomplished, she never opened the door without looking first. She had been through too much, lost too much, to ever take anything for granted. Danger often lurked in the most unexpected places.

Her breath caught on a gasp as she peered through the peephole. There was no danger here, but shock momentarily froze her. The woman on her doorstep had long, honey-gold hair, wore dark-rimmed glasses, and had a sharp nose to go with her pointed chin. She would have been unrecognizable to almost anyone, but Kennedy had spent too much time staring into the mesmerizing gray eyes of Irelyn Raine not to recognize her.

Having her show up incognito was much less surprising than having her show up at all. She hadn’t seen Irelyn in almost two years. Kennedy had once believed they shared a friendship, but after all this time, she had accepted that the other woman hadn’t felt the same way.