A Matter Of Justice (Grey Justice #4)(63)

She told herself it was understandable. He had a lot on his mind. Even though he could work remotely, there were a thousand things he needed to accomplish before their trip. It wasn’t because he no longer wanted her.

When he had come to bed last night, she had turned to face him. Kissing his neck and his chest, her hands had roamed over him, letting him know how much she wanted him. Instead of reciprocating, he’d kissed her forehead and told her to go to sleep, that they had a long day ahead of them.

She had lain in his arms for a long time, bereft and rejected. And when she’d finally fallen asleep, nightmares welcomed her as an old friend.

He hadn’t made love to her the night before that either. Yes, he’d given her unbelievable pleasure, but he hadn’t taken anything for himself. At the time, she had believed it was because he feared hurting her, but now she wasn’t so sure. Could it be that Grey had finally tired of her? After all she’d done, all she’d put him through, had he finally reached his limit?

“You’re already packed?”

Startled, she whirled around. Grey stood at the door. Though his tone was mild, she heard the concern in his voice. Did he think she might be leaving on her own? Did he want her to leave? She hated this new insecurity, but couldn’t let it go.

“Yes. I didn’t want to leave it to the last minute.”

“What’s wrong?”

Hiding her worries from him was becoming more difficult. “Just anxious to get there, I guess.”

“My last appointment had to reschedule. I came in to see if you wanted to leave earlier. Guess the answer is yes.”

“Yes, please.”

“The plane should be ready, but I’ll call Lily and ask her to move up the flight plan. I—” Grey’s phone buzzed with a text message.

“You get the text,” Irelyn said. “I’ll call Lily and—” She stopped, startled at the dark look on his face. “What?”

Instead of answering, he grabbed the television remote from the nightstand, pressed the power button, and switched to a local channel where a polished, appropriately serious reporter was saying, “Again, details are still coming in, but we can report that local businessman Joe Morrissey, president of Morrissey Industries, was found dead at his home last night. Cause of death has not been made public. Sources close to the investigation indicate the victim was killed yesterday afternoon in what may have been a stabbing. Morrissey was recently indicted on suspicion of embezzlement and fraud.”

The rest of the news report was lost on Irelyn. Her heart was pounding with dread, and now she knew why she’d felt such trepidation earlier. How coincidental could it be that the man they’d suspected of hiring a hit man to kill Grey had been murdered?



Grey listened carefully to the report. He’d learned that first reports were often the closest to the truth. Irelyn stood beside him quietly, and he knew she was absorbing all the implications. They would need to talk, but for right now he wanted more facts.

The doorbell rang. He headed out of the room to answer it, assuming Irelyn would follow.

The security camera showed Gallagher’s face, dark with concern and something else. The instant he opened the door, Nick said, “You heard?”

“Yes. Think it was a hit?”

“That’s what my sources are telling me.”

“Any suspects?”

“Not yet. I—” His eyes veered slightly as he looked behind Grey to Irelyn. “I’m sure there are more than a few people who wanted him dead.”

“Is there something else you want to say, Nick?” Irelyn asked.

“No. Is there something you’d like to say?”

“That’s enough, you two. Gallagher, have a seat. Irelyn, come with me.”

Following Grey back to her bedroom, she waited until he closed the door to say, “Do you think I did this?”

“Why the hell would you even ask me that?”

“He was killed yesterday. I was conveniently absent for several hours. I could have broken into his home, killed him, and left without leaving any evidence behind. I’m that good.”

“No, you’re not.”

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said. You aren’t good with break-ins. Yes, you can do great undercover work, and your disguises are both creative and excellent. But you’re terrible at being covert. You’re too loud. I think that might be why you were caught at Hill House.”

She was so filled with ire at his insults, she completely forgot about her fear that Grey might think she had killed Morrissey.

“I’ll have you know, I did not make a sound.”

“You got caught, didn’t you?”

“Well, yes, but—”

“But nothing, Irelyn. You suck at sneaking.”

She was about to defend herself again when she noted his steady, unwavering expression. She dropped down on the edge of the bed and sighed. “You’re deliberately pissing me off, aren’t you?”

“Am I?”

“So you don’t think I did this?”

“Of course I don’t.” He surprised her by kneeling in front of her. “Ah, darling.” Taking her hand, he held it to his mouth, kissing it softly. “What’s it going to take for you to trust me again?”