A Matter Of Justice (Grey Justice #4)(51)

Nick didn’t try to hide his disapproval or distrust, and she wouldn’t hide who she was. “Any way that’s necessary.”

“The way you stopped the man last night?”

“If necessary. Are you saying I shouldn’t have killed him?”

“We wanted to capture him, to talk to him.”

“Sorry, I thought saving Grey’s life was a bit more important.”

He ignored her sarcasm and continued, “I’m just wondering how likely you are to shoot first and ask questions later.”

“Seeing as the man was about to shoot Grey, I didn’t see an alternative.”

“And the other ones you’ve eliminated over the last couple of years? Were they also not in a talkative mood?”

Explaining herself to anyone didn’t sit well with her. She had shared more than she normally would have, but there was a limit. Before she could tell him that she was through justifying her actions, a surprising ally spoke up for her.

“That’s enough, Nick,” Kennedy said. “Irelyn has proven herself and her loyalty numerous times. You said yourself that she saved Grey’s life last night. And what she has or hasn’t been doing is her business, too.”

“Maybe so, but she damn well owes you an apology for running out on you last night.”

Eyes flashing at her husband, Kennedy shot back, “That’s between her and me. I don’t—”

“Nick’s right, Kennedy,” Irelyn said. “I do owe you an apology. I—”

Kennedy shook her head, gave her a warm smile. “We’ll talk later.”

“You called out his name.”

“What?” The question caught her off guard. Turning away from Kennedy and her kind smile, she focused on Kathleen Slater.

“Last night. Things happened so fast, it was hard to process everything until later, but I heard you say his name. You called him Kevin. Did you know him?”

Kennedy’s easy forgiveness didn’t extend to the rest of the group. If she was going to gain their trust, she knew she would have to explain further. If she had to share more than she was comfortable with, that was her price to pay. There were still things she wouldn’t tell. Revealing that the man she killed last night was her brother was one of them.

“Kevin was a member of an elite team of assassins trained by Hill Reed.”

“The man responsible for Thomas’s murder?” Kennedy asked.

“Yes. Hill Reed was a master manipulator and trainer. He trained dozens of killers. Kevin was one of them.”

“And you know this how?” Nick asked.

She glanced over at Grey. The look on his face said she had his full support, no matter what she chose to share. Irelyn took a breath and answered, “Because I used to be one of them. Hill Reed trained me, too.”

Under different circumstances, the silence in the room would have been funny. With the exception of Grey’s, everyone else’s expressions showed either shock or disbelief.

“You were an assassin?” Kathleen asked.

“No. At least—” She stole a look at Grey and then said firmly, “No. I’m not. But I did rejoin the association to root out some information.”

“What kind of information?” Jonah asked.

That was going into territory she deemed none of their business. “Personal things. They’re not pertinent to what we’re talking about here. Bottom line, I am here to help. You may not like me or like what I’ve done, that’s your prerogative. Either way, I’m here to stay until we find the person behind the contract.”



Unable to stay seated any longer, Grey came to stand beside Irelyn. His natural instinct was to protect her. Defending her was as normal to him as breathing. He also knew she would want to handle the matter in her own way and wouldn’t appreciate his interference. Irelyn could take care of herself, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to butt in and defend her. His jaw was taut with the need to demand that they trust her as much as he did.

“In case anyone has doubts, I want to make my position perfectly clear.” His eyes hit on everyone in the room, and then he centered his gaze on Gallagher. “I trust Irelyn, wholly, completely. In fact, there’s no one I trust more.” His eyes roamed around the room again. “Anyone here who disagrees with her working with us to find this person should feel free to leave. No questions asked. There are plenty of other projects to work on.”

Everyone remained silent, including Gallagher. Grey hadn’t expected anything different. Nick might have his doubts about Irelyn, but his loyalty to the Grey Justice Group and what they stood for was unquestionable.

“Okay. Now that that’s settled, let’s take a look at what we’ve got.”

The lights dimmed slightly, and a large screen lowered from the ceiling. Thirty-six names appeared on the screen.

“We’ve narrowed the list down to these men and women,” Kennedy said.

Still standing beside him, Irelyn nudged him with her shoulder, gave him a wry grin. “These are the only ones you’ve managed to piss off enough to want to kill you?”

He returned her grin. “I’m sure there are many more, but these are the ones who can afford to pay someone to do the deed.”

“Our criteria was fairly broad,” Kennedy said. “Any business or individual who had an association with any Grey Justice company where there might be bad blood or harsh feelings. We went back five years, as you suggested.”