A Matter Of Justice (Grey Justice #4)(53)

“You bailed his employees out,” Nick said.

“Yes. That’s not why he’s pissed. He couldn’t care less about them. He’s furious because he knows I alerted the authorities that he was about to flee the country. He was arrested at the airport. He’s out on bail now.”

“So he’s not angry about his business,” Gabriella said. “He’s angry that he got caught.”

“And he holds me responsible.”

“But does he have enough money left to hire a hit man?”

“Yes. He’s hidden money all over Europe. That’s for others to worry about. But I’m quite sure he’s got enough to hire an assassin if he so desires.

“There’s another reason he’s at the top of my list. He stopped me at the Abernathy event. Insisted we needed to talk. Took me a few minutes to get away from him. That could’ve been a delaying tactic.”

“So he might’ve stalled you, giving the shooter time to get to another location.” Irelyn said.

It was a distinct possibility. Morrissey had little hope left. He would definitely serve time for his greed and heartlessness. What better way to get his revenge than to destroy the man he held responsible for his downfall?

“Let’s keep our eyes open but concentrate heavily on these three for now. Kennedy, I’d like you take on Morrissey. Charlie, dig into Donaldson. And Gabby, see what you can find out about Petrie. Follow the contacts and the money.”

“And if it’s not one of those three men?” Kathleen asked.

“Then we come up with another way to find the culprit,” Grey answered. “Assassins are patient by nature. Fortunately, the people who purchase their services aren’t. We might have to force their hand again.”

“What’s the plan for you, Grey?” Kennedy asked. “Will you lie low until we can identify him?”

He’d given this a lot of thought over the last few hours. Irelyn likely wouldn’t like his solution, but he wasn’t going to let that stop him. She was putting on a good front for everyone, but she was still suffering, both physically and emotionally. Added to that was their need to reconnect. Her admission that she had lost trust in him hadn’t been that much of a surprise. Her actions over the last two years bore that out. Knowing that and hearing it from her mouth were two different things. He’d felt as if someone had taken a machete to his heart. He wanted to regain what they had lost.

Refusing to even allow for an argument, he locked eyes with Irelyn as he answered Kennedy’s question. “Irelyn and I are going away together.”

He saw her surprise and figured she was about to give him a dressing-down for making that decision for her. He didn’t give her a chance. Turning back to the rest of the group, he added, “I have a few things to take care of today. After that, I can work from a remote location. If anything urgent needs attending, Gallagher will be my liaison for all things connected to the Grey Justice Group.”

He stopped talking and waited for an explosion. It never came. He looked back over at Irelyn and smiled. Her brow was arched, and her eyes gleamed with amusement, letting him know she recognized his highhandedness. She didn’t say a word to refute him.

Feeling more optimistic by the moment, he glanced around the room. “Any questions?”

He waited a few seconds, and when no one said anything, he stood. “Thank you all for your help. I know we’d all rather be doing something besides this. Hopefully, it’ll get resolved soon and we can go on to more important things.”

Charlie stood and threw the group one of her charming grins. “I’ll be the brown-noser of the bunch and say something we’re all thinking. There’s nothing more important than protecting our boss.”

The room exploded in laughter, lessening the seriousness of the meeting, ending on the right tone. He noted that Kennedy and Irelyn spoke quietly to each other for several moments, and then Kennedy hugged her before walking out of the room.

With the exception of Grey and Irelyn, the room was empty. Figuring she had waited till everyone left before she started arguing about going away together, he fired the first shot.

“You know as well as I do that you will be a target, too. Getting out of town and sticking together is the best way to ensure that we both survive.”

“I agree,” she said mildly. “While you’re wrapping things up, I’m going to see Dr. Tobin. I have an appointment with her this afternoon.”

Her agreement was almost too easy, but he would definitely not complain.

“Sounds good. Terrance can take you.”

She nodded and walked toward the door, stopping at the entrance. “Grey, what you said about trusting me more than anyone. Is that true?”

“Do I ever say things I don’t mean?”

“No.”

“Well, then.”

Biting her lip as if she wanted to say something else but couldn’t, she merely said, “Thank you.”

He had hoped for more, perhaps an assertion that she felt the same way. He knew it wasn’t going to be that easy to regain her trust. Time together would help.

“You and Kennedy get things ironed out?”

“I asked her to wait for me in the living room. I owe her an explanation and an apology.”

“She’s not angry with you.”