A Matter Of Justice (Grey Justice #4)(79)

“Thanks, Charlie. I’ll be back with you soon.”

Clicking on the email, Grey watched the attached video. He already knew who was responsible for Irelyn leaving, and now he knew why she’d gone without a fight. He also knew one other thing—she was heading to her death.





Chapter Thirty-Three





Hill House

England





She was back where it had all begun, and she was in trouble. Big trouble. The last thing she remembered was stepping inside the back of a limo. When she woke, she’d found herself here, in the belly of the beast once more.

She knew she was in Hill House. Even though the darkness was so deep she could see nothing, she recognized the smell of decay. Oddly enough, she hadn’t noticed that until she had come back. She suspected the stink had always existed. When she was a child, Hill House had smelled like home and safety. The adult Irelyn recognized the stench of death.

Her hands were tied behind her, and she was sitting in a straight-backed wooden chair. She closed her eyes and tried to envision where she was inside the house. The chilly air made her think she was underground. She knew there was a small wine cellar and basement that had rarely been used. The air didn’t have the kind of musty, dampness one would associate with a basement, though. Actually, and she couldn’t say why, she thought she detected a faint whiff of paint and turpentine.

Giving up on trying to determine her location within the house, Irelyn used her other senses. She was still wearing her dress, but her boots had been removed, and her feet were ice cold. The ties on her wrists and ankles were made of rope, not plastic. Rope would be hard to break.

She didn’t know Dark’s exact plan, but she had a good idea. Torture, then death. Why he hadn’t taken that opportunity when she’d been here before was a mystery. Perhaps he would tell her before she killed him.

Someone who didn’t know her history might laugh and call her delusional. She was sitting in the dark, barefoot and tied to a chair. But she had skills that weren’t evident to the naked eye. Skills that Hill Reed had taught only her. She had never used them, never wanted to use them. She would gladly make an exception for Sebastian Dark.

So, unless Dark came in and shot her dead at point-blank range, she knew she would escape. What it might cost her in the long run could not be a factor. She would do what she had to do to not only save Somer and Sister Nadeen, but also herself.

It had taken her years to acknowledge that she deserved saving. If not for Grey’s determination and perseverance, she likely never would have reached that point. He had saved her. Now it was up to her to save herself.

Wanting to get started, she yelled, “Dark! Come out and show yourself!”

Silence was her answer. That was no problem. She had good lungs and a strong voice. She set up a litany of insults and screams directed at Sebastian Dark. If he was listening, he was stinging.

Fifteen minutes later, she was rewarded. Lights exploded around her, and agony burst behind her eyes. Blocking out the pain, Irelyn squeezed her eyes shut briefly and then reopened them. Dark stood before her. Dressed in his usual black suit and red power tie, he looked as evil as always.

“You are a loud one, aren’t you?”

Ignoring her surroundings for the time being, she focused on the man in front of her. “Where are Somer and Sister Nadeen?”

“They’re both safely back with the good sisters at the children’s home.”

“I want proof.”

Dark smiled. It was ugly, vile, and evil all at the same time. “Understand that I don’t have to do this, but just to show you I’m not without a heart…”

He nodded toward a wall. A giant screen dropped down, and then Somer, along with Nadeen, appeared.

“Irelyn?” Sister Nadeen said.

“I’m here.” She glanced over at Dark. “I don’t want them to see me like this.”

“No worries, my dear. They can’t.”

“Are you all right, Irelyn? Did that man hurt you?”

“No, he didn’t hurt me. Are you and Somer okay?”

“Yes. We’re back home, safe and sound. We were both a little discombobulated for a while, but we’re okay now.”

Despite the circumstances, Irelyn smiled at the nun’s word choice. Her penchant for English crossword puzzles often showed up in her conversations.

“I’m glad. I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused.”

“You’re sure you’re okay? We—”

The screen went blank. “That’s enough. You’ve seen that they’re both alive. I don’t hurt children or nuns.”

Knowing he’d kill his own mother if it suited him, she didn’t respond to his obvious lie.

Though it was painful to do so, she made herself look around. The room was a large square and so intensely lit that her eyes watered. The only relief from the blinding white was the black television monitor and Dark himself.

She had never seen this room before, which reinforced her impression that it had been recently painted.

“I know you’re redecorating, but I have to tell you I hate what you’ve done with the place. Quite unimaginative.”

“It has its uses.”

“Where are we? In the basement?”