A Matter Of Justice (Grey Justice #4)(82)

Nausea threatened and Irelyn swallowed back the bile.

Reed had told her that her body was a weapon and that someday she would use it to entice and secure her prey. But, that for now, her body was his to use as he wished.

The rapes had happened a handful of times, and afterward, he would hold her and whisper soft words of praise. She had craved that praise more than anything else on earth. She would cling to him, aching for what she had believed was love.

The beatings and torture had been horrific, but they almost seemed more bearable than those tender moments. Hugs, kisses, and verbal praise from a monster who’d doled out affection one moment and harsh discipline the next. She had learned to look for his approval in all things. She would have done almost anything for him.

And in the end, she had.





Chapter Thirty-Four





Grey Justice Private Jet





The foul weather made a hellish trip even worse. It was damn dangerous to be in the air at all, and he’d told Lily he understood if she didn’t want to take the chance. The look she’d given him had been his answer.

Getting approval to take off had been frustratingly slow. He had never bribed nor pleaded with more people in his life. It had taken almost an hour before he had worn them down.

Fifteen minutes later, after a harrowing, slippery takeoff, they’d been in the air. The flight was far from a smooth, direct one. Lily was doing everything she could to avoid the worst of the storm, and Grey trusted her enough to leave her to her job. Her co-pilot was just as able.

Grey spent most of that time on the phone, calling every person he knew in England. He had never felt this helpless in his life.

Irelyn Raine could handle herself against anyone, including any trained killer. He told himself that she had a plan, that she would come out a winner. Problem was, Irelyn wasn’t ruthless. Hill Reed had tried to destroy her humanity and turn her into an emotionless creature, devoid of feeling. He had failed. Irelyn led with her heart. Yes, she would kill when necessary, but she had something Reed had never been able to beat out of her. She had compassion. She would sacrifice herself, her life, to save another. He didn’t doubt for an instant that she would do anything to save little Somer and Sister Nadeen.

He’d alerted the local authorities. Hill House was well known in all of England, but it had never been breached. Reed had known how to play the game of politics. As long as he wasn’t blatant about what he did, he and his people were left alone to do as they pleased. It had taken no small amount of charm and bribery on Grey’s part to get the police to go to Hill House to investigate. What they’d discovered was massively worrisome. She wasn’t there. No one was there. The entire house had been searched, top to bottom. The place was empty.

Dark could have taken her anywhere, so Grey had feelers out all over the world. However, he believed the bastard would go home. Hill House was Dark’s refuge. The connection that Dark and Irelyn shared was there, within those walls. He would go back at some point, and then Grey would destroy him.

He tried not to consider what she was going through, because he imagined only the worst. Sebastian Dark, like his predecessor, was purported to be a sadist. He would want to prolong his victim’s agony and wouldn’t kill her outright. A hideous thought, but grim, cold comfort was all he had right now.

They had come too far, overcome too much, to let it end this way. Not when they’d finally surmounted every emotional barrier. They were going to be married. He had told her they would be together sixty or so more years, and he was damn well going to keep that promise.

He would find her, he would save her, and then together, once and for all, they would destroy Hill House and all that dwelled within.



Hill House

England





Grey stalked through the massive mansion, yelling for Irelyn at the top of his lungs. He hadn’t even considered using stealth. If Dark was here and heard him, he’d come out, and they would face off.

Footsteps sounded behind him. Gun drawn, Grey whirled in anticipation and then breathed out a frustrated sigh. Nick Gallagher and Jonah Slater. They had been waiting at the airport when he arrived.

“Anything?” Grey asked.

“No,” Gallagher said. “I’ve searched the entire first floor.”

He glanced over at Jonah, who shook his head. “Nothing on the second floor either. Half the rooms look like they haven’t been occupied in years.”

Grey had searched the third floor. From Irelyn’s recounting, he knew the third floor was where her torture and training had taken place. It only made sense for Dark, who was trying so hard to emulate his mentor, to return with Irelyn to the place where his predecessor had been. So why hadn’t he?

“Let’s switch up. Maybe one of us will see something we missed the first time. I’ll take the first floor. Gallagher, you take the second. Jonah, you’re on the third.”

In grim silence, they restarted their search. As Grey went from room to room on the first floor, a part of his mind noted surprise at the seeming normalness of the décor. Irelyn had never described the house, but in his mind, he had envisioned something between an old-time bordello, including red velvet curtains and cheap erotic art and a modern-day BDSM dungeon. He couldn’t have been further from the truth. Admittedly, the décor held as much warmth as a funeral parlor, but there wasn’t anything gauche or gaudy about it. Cream-colored walls, light beige area rugs, tan sofas and chairs showed that someone had tried, without much imagination, to make the place look the opposite of what it actually was.