A Matter Of Justice (Grey Justice #4)(27)

Grey couldn’t argue with her logic. Adam Slater, Mathias’s oldest son, had been a chip off the old block. Though not nearly as intelligent or devious as his father, his self-absorption and coldheartedness made him just as dangerous and evil as Mathias had been.

“You’re right. We already monitor him, but I’ll make sure we delve deeper just to make sure he’s not gotten back into the killing business.”

“There’s one more person I’d like to add,” Nick said.

Kennedy’s soft snort of disgust warned Grey about the identity of Nick’s new suspect.

His brow raised, Grey asked, “Irelyn?”

“Yes.”

“Nick, this is ridiculous,” Kennedy snapped. “Irelyn would never hurt Grey.”

“I know we’d all like to think that, Kennedy. The fact remains that she is an assassin.”

“I know that’s what you think, but there’s got to be more than meets the eye here. She wouldn’t—”

“You don’t know what she would or wouldn’t do,” Gallagher said. “Just because she helped you when she worked for Grey doesn’t mean she won’t kill for money now. She’s obviously dangerous, and I—”

“That’s enough, Gallagher,” Grey growled. “We’ve had this conversation before, and while I understand your concern for Kennedy, she is in no danger from Irelyn. I know for a fact that Irelyn would lay down her life for Kennedy…hell, for all of us, including you. I don’t have a clue why she has associated herself with Hill House. I intend to find out the reason, but until then, know this. I trust Irelyn Raine more than anyone else in the world, period.”

“And you’re willing to gamble your life that she’s not changed? Gone rogue?”

“Yes. Irelyn Raine is many things, but there’s not an ounce of killer instinct in her.”

“Then why the hell did she hire on as an assassin?”

Grey had racked his brain trying to figure out just what Irelyn had up her sleeve. She always had an agenda. A part of him feared exactly what that agenda entailed, but he knew to his soul it had nothing to do with killing innocent people. And though he was as far from innocent as a man could get, he also knew she would never physically harm him. Metaphorically tear his heart out of his chest? Most definitely. But never would she want to see him hurt.

“Again, I don’t have an answer to that question.” Grey glanced over at Kingston. “You have a unique perspective on this matter. You want to jump in?”

“Be glad to.” Giving a half-smile, Kingston turned to Nick. “I met Irelyn almost seven years ago. I’d just gotten out of the military and was trying to reconnect with my daughter. She was ten years old going on thirty and resented every moment I wanted to spend with her. She agreed to come away with me if she could bring two of her friends.

“I took them to a beach resort in Florida. They went together to the bathroom on the beach and didn’t come back. I went looking for them and…” He shook his head. “Scared the hell out of me. I was about to call the police when Irelyn showed up with them. She was working undercover to bring down a human-trafficking ring. She’d managed to sneak the girls out.”

“Was this a GJG op?” Nick asked.

Grey smiled. “No. This was an Irelyn op.”

There was so much people didn’t understand about Irelyn Raine. She had saved lives so many times, and no one even knew she’d been involved.

“An Irelyn op?” Kennedy said. “So she was just doing this on her own?”

“Her main focus is child trafficking and child endangerment,” Grey said.

“So what happened to the traffickers?” Nick asked.

“Took a few weeks more, but she was finally able to identify the head of the ring. All in all, eleven people were taken into custody. Seven children were saved and returned to their families.”

“How did Irelyn keep from being outed?” Kennedy said.

Kingston gave a gruff laugh. “She’s Irelyn.”

Grey almost smiled. That was the answer to so many questions regarding Irelyn Raine. She was one of the strongest and most capable people he’d ever known. She had fascinated him the first time he met her, and years later, that hadn’t changed.

“So you think she’s infiltrated this assassin group as one of her undercover ops?” Kennedy asked.

That was his greatest fear and the likeliest answer. But there was so much more to this situation than met the eye. Irelyn’s past and her present were now one. Grey knew to his soul there would not be a peaceful resolution.

“I do believe this, yes,” Grey said. “I wish I could say why, but I don’t know the answer. And I have been unable to locate her.”

“Any chance it’s related to the attempted hit on you?” Gallagher asked.

“That is a possibility.”

“Then why didn’t she warn you about it? Instead, she waits several days and then goes to Kennedy to deliver a message that you should be careful?”

Nick’s distrust was understandable. As a former homicide detective, he had been trained to be suspicious. His anger was understandable as well. Kennedy’s first husband, also Nick’s best friend, had been killed by the very same organization that Irelyn had just joined. No one else knew about her past association with this group, and for now, no one would.