A Matter Of Justice (Grey Justice #4)(54)

“No, but that’s because she’s Kennedy. Nick, on the other hand, is furious, and rightly so.”

“He’s protective of her. It’s what people who love each other do.”

“Yes, I know.” The look she gave him before walking out spoke volumes.

Grey blew out a huge, ragged sigh. Nothing with Irelyn was ever easy. And he was far from easy himself. Whatever was whirling around in that beautiful head of hers would eventually come out. He had days to make that happen.

A little smile tugged at his mouth. Damned if he wasn’t feeling remarkably chipper for a man marked for death.





Chapter Twenty-Two





Irelyn settled onto a sofa across from Kennedy. She was nervous, which wasn’t the norm, but this woman and her opinion meant so much to her. “I want to apologize for last night.”

“You don’t owe me an explanation or an apology, Irelyn. If I had been in your position, I would have done the same thing. You were trying to save Grey’s life.”

“Nick doesn’t agree with you.”

“You know how men are. He’s just being super protective.”

Yes, Grey was like that on occasion, too. It’s what people who love each other do. The words he’d spoken before she’d walked out had almost stopped her heart. She had almost said things she’d never said before, asked questions she’d never had the courage to ask.

“Nick has every right to be angry on your behalf. Even if you don’t want my apology, I do at least owe you an explanation.”

“I understand why you did what you did last night. But I—” She waved her hand. “Look, if I’m out of line here, just tell me to mind my own business, but you said something when you came to my house that I can’t get out of my head.”

Irelyn didn’t need to ask her what that was. She regretted that moment of vulnerability, but at the same time, she realized that saying the words had been oddly freeing.

“You want to know why I killed Grey’s parents?”

“I want to know why you think you killed them.”

Even now, knowing that Irelyn was a trained assassin, Kennedy didn’t believe she could have done something so vile as to kill Grey’s parents. For a moment, her mind wandered to what it would feel like to be that innocent and trusting. Though Kennedy’s childhood had not been easy, she was fortunate to have had people in her life who actually cared about her well-being.

“Did you ask Grey?”

“Yes. He told me I should ask you. He said it’s your story to tell.”

Of course he wouldn’t have told her. Grey would never reveal their secrets without her agreement.

She blew out a sigh, and her eyes went unfocused as she thought about what had happened to lead up to that fateful day.

“I was four or five years old when Hill Reed purchased me from my mother. I assume she was my mother. Grey and I tried to find her years later, but since I’ve never known my real name, it was a dead end from the start.”

Her smile was twisted as she added, “Reed gave me my name. He said it was raining, and he was in Ireland, so it seemed to fit. The spelling came from a man who created my fake passport years later.”

Realizing she’d gotten sidetracked already, she refocused. “All I knew was that I was warm and safe for the first time in my life. I had a soft place to sleep and food to fill my belly. I don’t remember much about those days, before Reed, other than being cold and hungry. Reed gave me everything, and as he planned, I became totally dependent on him.”

“He was a father figure to you.”

Even now, years later, her stomach cramped when she thought about all the things Reed had been to her.

“Not in the sense that most people have fathers, but yes, that’s true. But everything he did to me and for me had a purpose.”

“Like what?”

“He was an assassin by trade. However, he was also the leader of a group of assassins. He took contracts for them, made assignments, took a cut for himself. In return, he provided training and support. Hill House is, or was, like a large club for assassins only. A few lived there, some only visited to socialize in a safe environment. All of them trained there. Hill Reed was considered one of the best assassin trainers in the business.”

“He trained you to—” Horror flared on her face. “But you were just a baby!”

She smiled coldly. “That didn’t happen until later. At first, all he did was make me believe I couldn’t survive without him. That if he ever left me alone, I would die a horrible, painful death. By the end of that first year, I was wholly dependent upon him. I would have died for him.”

“Was he at least affectionate toward you?”

It had taken her years to not shudder when she thought about Reed’s idea of affection. “If it served his purpose, he could be kind. It wasn’t until later on that he became brutally cruel. First, he won my affection, and then he used it against me.”

“Did you have an education? Any kind of normal childhood?”

“Yes, to the education. No, to the normal childhood. Reed had specific plans for me, so he made sure I was well educated. I had tutors and teachers. A bizarre form of homeschooling I guess you could say.”

“What about friends. Did you have any?”