A Matter Of Justice (Grey Justice #4)(83)

The third floor was the complete opposite, though, and looked exactly as he’d expected. It was obvious that Reed had put more money and thought into that floor than any other part of the house. The reason for that sickened Grey.

Everywhere he looked—kitchen, parlors, what looked like a club room with a large bar and several poker tables, dining room, living room—every damn place was empty. He had pressed panels, pulled out drawers, pounded on walls, hoping that some kind of secret door would open to reveal a private area. There was nothing.

Filled with more frustration and worry than he’d ever had in his life, Grey returned to the foyer to see that Jonah and Gallagher had finished their searches as well.

“What now?” Jonah asked.

What now indeed?

“Let’s search the outside perimeter. There’re several acres of land attached. Maybe he’s got another building somewhere.”

Grey ignored the grim, doubtful looks that Jonah and Gallagher exchanged. They thought this was a hopeless endeavor. That wherever Dark had taken Irelyn, it was already too late to save her. He would damn well not accept that. Irelyn was still alive, he could feel it. They were connected in a way few could understand. He would not stop until he found her and brought her home.

There was no other option.





Chapter Thirty-Five





Everything was going swimmingly, and he was enjoying every moment. That was one of the things his father had taught him. Savoring your successes was such an important aspect of the job. The life of an assassin was lonely, sometimes distasteful, but always interesting. Being in charge of a group of assassins wasn’t nearly as enjoyable as being one of the ranks. He had responsibilities that he couldn’t cast to just anyone. This had been one of them. Not that he would have wanted anyone else to take this over. This was a vendetta. Very personal. You didn’t get much more personal than destroying the woman who murdered the most important person in your world.

Still, even as much as he had been looking forward to this event, he looked forward to its conclusion. He’d been working toward this day for so long. When he had learned of Hill’s death, he had known immediately who was responsible. He hadn’t shared that information with anyone else. This was his responsibility. As the leader of Hill House, he would see to the reckoning. Only Sebastian could avenge his father’s death.

He realized that that was the main reason he hadn’t been able to refill Hill House with the most-skilled assassins. His attention had been divided. Once this was over, the deed done, he could look forward to the future. Making Hill Reed proud of him had been a goal for as long as he could remember. Nothing would please him more than knowing that the woman who betrayed him had been destroyed.

The memories were getting to her. Her face was expressionless, but her pallor was almost as white as the walls that surrounded them. She was suffering, remembering all that had been done to her, all that she had been forced to do. The training she had endured, they had all endured, had been harsh but necessary. He was living proof of Hill Reed’s brilliance.

Irelyn Raine, on the other hand, had been a failure from the start. She should have died long ago. By the time he was finished, she would be begging for death, pleading for him to put her out of her misery. She would be whimpering, speechless with agony, both emotional and physical. She would suffer, and then she would die.

The first phase was almost complete. She was almost ready for the second and final part of his punishment. She didn’t know about his skills. Didn’t know that he had talents she could only imagine possessing. He had intentionally made this room large enough to be able to use his bullwhip. First he would use it on her skin. That lovely unmarred body would no longer glow with good health. She would be hideous to look at and in extreme pain. Then he would deliver the coup de grace. The wire would wrap around her neck and she would beg for mercy an instant before he jerked the handle. She would die in both shock and awe of him. And on her final breath of life she would know that he had been the greatest, not her.

His eyes returned to the screens where Raine’s early life played out. Hill Reed had been a bit of a video hound. He had shelves of film he’d taken over the years. His training methods were works of art. Sebastian had watched several of the sessions. Many had involved people he had known. He had yet to watch recordings of his own training. His mind veered away from the thought of doing so. Those days were a blur to him, and the analogy that no one wanted to see how sausage was made worked for him. Especially when he was the sausage.

A time or two, he felt an odd, uncomfortable jolt, almost as if the electricity wired to the chair Raine sat in went through him. He had to look away from the screen and refocus. That didn’t mean anything. Watching her suffer was the most important part anyway. He was merely saving his energy for the finale.

And that would be coming up very soon.



Irelyn drew in a silent breath. The man standing a few feet from her had no idea of what he had done, what he had set free. Without a doubt, this was the most defining moment of her life. Irelyn had always thought that what she had done to Grey’s parents had defined her, and now she realized she had been wrong. While that had been hideous and something she would regret for the rest of her life, that event didn’t make her who she was.

Yes, the recordings were gruesome and vile. Nausea lay heavy in her belly, and she longed for a shower with an almost manic intensity. However, as she watched hour after hour of abuse, followed by repulsive moments of fake affection, something monumental happened within her. While she could cry for the abused little girl who had never known safety or love, she celebrated the woman she had become. For many, overcoming abuse like this would be impossible. It could have destroyed her, but instead, she had managed to escape, move forward.