A Matter Of Justice (Grey Justice #4)(72)

“That would be a huge step.”

He took her hand, squeezed it gently “We’ve made big steps before. As long as we’re together, we can do anything. Right?”

Together. Something like happiness settled inside her. Grey was right. They had come through every storm possible together, and they had survived. Once this final storm passed, they could move forward to something more. “Yes, I believe we can.”



She was sitting in the library, surrounded by thousands of books. This was her favorite room in the house. Both she and Grey were avid readers, but the last couple of years, she hadn’t had the time or inclination to lose herself in a great story. Today, she was reintroducing herself to one of her favorite classics, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women.

A part of her felt guilty. In between taking frequent breaks to enjoy their time together, Grey had been working. Normally, she would be doing the same, but she had been embarrassingly lazy since they’d arrived. Sleeping hours longer than she normally would, getting sleepier in the evenings before her normal bedtime, and taking frequent naps. Admittedly, many of those times had to do with having Grey around.

It was more than that, though. She hadn’t realized that she had reached the peak of physical and mental exhaustion. She’d been living on nerves, not sleeping, eating, or taking care of herself like she should. She had thought Grey wanted to get away to get them out of harm’s way, but looking back on it now, she knew that wasn’t his biggest reason. He had known she had reached her limit.

In a way, it was hard to have someone know you so well…know you better than you knew yourself. Self-sufficiency and self-reliance were important to her peace of mind and stability. But she couldn’t deny that having someone know her and care for her so much touched her like nothing else could. How many times had Grey set aside his needs for her own? Too many times to count. And it wasn’t because he was controlling—although he certainly could be that. Neither was it because he necessarily thought he knew best. He did it because he cared.

Now that she was sleeping and eating better, her mind felt clearer, much less clogged. As she read, another part of her mind was left free to explore. Pieces began to fall together. Minuscule bits formed nuggets of information, leading to bigger clues. Faces and images appeared, conversations played through her mind, and she caught nuances she had previously ignored.

Grey walked into the library, and she almost pounced on him with her conclusion. “It’s Dark. He’s behind it all.”



Hesitating, Grey roamed his gaze over her face and then her body. They’d been here only a little over a week, but she was already looking remarkably better. Her face held a healthy glow again, her cheekbones didn’t seem as hollow, and the shadows beneath her eyes had disappeared. She had even put on a couple of pounds. Her stamina in both the weight room and the bedroom was a testament to her strength and endurance. His mind eased that her recovery had been swift, but now he had a new worry.

“Grey?”

Aware that he had taken too long in answering, he nodded. “Yes, it is.”

“You’re not surprised. You already figured that out.”

“It’s the only thing that makes sense. Too many things kept going back to Dark’s involvement.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

He cocked his head and gave her a raised brow. “What would you have done if I had?”

“I would have gone after him, of course. I—” She halted, laughed a little. “And I would have gotten myself killed.”

“Yes. I knew the instant you figured it out, nothing would stop you from going after him. I couldn’t risk that until you were well.”

“So all that investigating that the Grey Justice Group is doing isn’t really happening?”

“No, it’s happening, too. I’m not arrogant enough to assume anything right now. I thought while you recovered, if something led us in another direction, we’d be better equipped to deal with whomever.”

“But it’s still leading you to Dark?”

“Without a doubt.”

“What about Morrissey? Are there any leads on his murder? Could Sebastian somehow be involved in that?”

He was glad to be able to ease her mind about that. “I spoke with Gallagher this morning. One of Morrissey’s former business partners was arrested and has confessed.”

“That’s a relief. I’m very sorry he’s dead, but I am glad it’s not related to us.” She patted the open space on the sofa beside her and waited until he sat down. “But why is Dark targeting you? Why now?”

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s just a matter of bringing a little cache to his name. Maybe he’s found out who I really am, though that’s doubtful. There are only a few people left who have that knowledge.”

“Do you think I brought this on? By trying to catch his attention to get back into Hill House?”

“Absolutely not. We know he’s having issues getting assassins to come back to Hill House. This is likely his twisted way of trying to earn the community’s respect.”

“So what are we going to do about it?”

“What do you want to do?”

“I want to stop him, and I want to destroy Hill House once and for all.”