A Matter Of Justice (Grey Justice #4)(31)

She refused to give voice to the screaming inside her at his words. Grey with another woman? Another woman’s children? No. No. No. For as long as they’d been together, she had not once been concerned that he would stray. They had been many things to each other, hurt each other to the point of brutality, but never had she questioned his devotion or fidelity.

But she had ended it, hadn’t she? Then she needed to live with the consequences, as painful as they were.

“Yes. Find a woman, marry her. Have children. Be happy. You deserve that.”

He stared hard at her then. It took a massive amount of willpower to hold that fiery blue gaze without flinching. Without giving away the fact that she was bleeding inside.

Finally, he said in a gruff, thick tone, “And you, Irelyn? You will find another man? Or have you already? Is that what this is about?”

She could make him believe her. If she told him she’d found someone else, he would likely let her go without another word. And while that was exactly what she needed him to do, there was no way in hell she would hurt him like that.

“No. There is no other man, Grey. But there needs to be. Don’t you see? We need to get on with our lives.”

“Don’t give me that bullshit. We’ve been through too much together.”

“It’s not bullshit.” She backed away slowly. “Goodbye, Grey. Have a good life. You deserve it.”

“Walk away, Irelyn, and this is it. I won’t try to find you again. I’m tired of chasing you.”

“Good. That’s the way I—” A lump was developing in her chest, threatening to envelop her throat and stop both her ability to breathe or to speak. She had to get this done and over with. Quickly.

“Have a good life, Grey. You are the best man I’ve ever known. You deserve every good thing.” Unable to stop herself, she grabbed hold of his jacket, rose on her toes, and ground her mouth against his again. If she could have nothing more of him, then she would take his taste with her.

Before he could respond, she backed away completely and walked into the light, back into the milling crowd of strangers where she could be completely anonymous and alone. Grey didn’t follow her. She knew he wouldn’t. He had told the truth. He wouldn’t chase her again. Wouldn’t try to find her. This time, they were done for good.

Wrapping her arms around herself, Irelyn walked away for the last time.





Chapter Twelve





Hill House

England





“I’m sure you remember this room. It hasn’t changed since you were last here.”

He was right. The room looked the same. She should know, since this particular one had been featured in many of her nightmares. This was the place where formal punishments were given. The area was large enough to hold a small group of people to witness the punishment, but not so large if Hill had wanted a more private setting. Dramatic in both color and design, the décor evoked memories she had spent a lifetime trying to forget. Hundreds of hours in therapy had eradicated the humiliation and excruciating pain, but no amount of therapy could wipe away the memory.

Only by reminding herself how far she had come was she able to act naturally. Dark had breezed through the first two floors with a minimum of detail. When they’d reached the third floor, where most of the horrible things took place, he had purposely slowed down, stopping at various areas to reminisce. The sparkling gleam in his eyes said he was enjoying himself immensely.

At the end of this long hallway was the place she wanted to go the most. He had barely mentioned the room as they’d passed, just making an aside that the records room was where it always had been. She had merely nodded and moved on, in no way indicating that what lay behind those locked doors was of utmost importance.

He had waited until the end of the tour to show this particular room. It was obvious he wanted a reaction out of her. Damned if she would give him any satisfaction. She was good at undercover, trained to hide and manipulate. This weasel, with his smarmy smile and wicked agenda, would not cause her to fail. This was the most important undercover mission she’d ever attempted. No way would she let the memories of horror stop her.

Using every bit of talent she had, she kept her expression free of the outrage and fury boiling in her blood. “It’s a bit outdated. One would think we’re still living in the twentieth century. Black and red are so gauche and passé.”

His smile froze for an instant. “The classic look never really goes out of style, does it?”

“If you say so.”

“You don’t seem all that pleased to be back here. Perhaps this was a mistake.”

“On the contrary, I’m extremely pleased to be back home. I’m just surprised that a man with your exquisite taste hasn’t commissioned more renovations.”

The smile became natural once more. Yes, she was playing him, and he knew it. As she’d told Kennedy, life was a game. She wasn’t particularly good at certain parts. However, having been schooled by a master, she excelled in manipulation. But there was something else she needed to remember—that very same master had trained Sebastian Dark as well.

“I am slowly renovating,” Dark was saying. “I’m sure you’ll agree that, while our father was a bit old-fashioned, he had exquisite taste.”