A Matter Of Justice (Grey Justice #4)(84)

And while watching all the vileness heaped on the fragile, vulnerable child she’d once been, she realized something else. Grey had given her a gift by allowing her to kill Hill Reed. By rights, he should have taken the opportunity himself. Hill Reed had killed his parents. Reed might have been a trained killer, but compared to Grey, he was ordinary. Grey could have easily taken the bastard down. Instead, he had allowed her to do the deed. He had known better than anyone what she had suffered at Hill Reed’s hands. Grey had given her the gift of closure.

She hadn’t seen it like that before now. Her feelings had been so mixed up, so confused. She had hated the monster that Hill Reed was, had mentally recognized his evil. However, the thread of affection that Reed had so carefully woven into her psyche had still existed. The hurt had been too deep for her to see everything clearly. But now, witnessing the abuse, seeing that fragile child so vulnerable, so scared, and seeing the evil gleam of delight in Hill’s eyes, she was grateful she had been the one to destroy him.

Sebastian sat in a chair a few feet back. On occasion, he would make a nasty comment or laugh at something on the screens. His small mind could not begin to fathom what he had unleashed. He believed that witnessing her abuse would weaken her, possibly put her in a catatonic state where she wouldn’t be able to function. It was all part of his plan of torture. If she hadn’t wanted to keep her thoughts a secret, she would have laughed out loud. Messing with him was actually going to be fun.

While he was turned away from her, watching the images on the screen, she quietly studied him. The smug arrogance he’d started with had diminished considerably. There was now a slump to his shoulders and a slight tremble to his hands. Although none of his training had appeared on the screens, he was still affected by the memories nonetheless. He had endured much of the same torture disguised as training. She had been in some of his sessions and had witnessed his abuse firsthand.

She told herself she should feel sorry for Sebastian. She had escaped, he hadn’t. Even though Grey had helped her, she had pulled herself up from the gutter. Sebastian could have done that, too. Instead, he had allowed evil to permeate his life. Not only had he killed innocents without compunction or remorse, he had kidnapped a child and a nun to use them in his sick game of revenge. So no, she had little pity.

Grey would be looking for her. Using every contact and calling in every favor, he wouldn’t rest until he found her. She wanted this over before that happened. The fight wasn’t Grey’s, it was hers. She needed to end this, once and for all.

She focused her gaze inward. Sebastian thought she was looking at one of the screens where her abuse played out, but he was wrong. She saw far beyond that. She saw her strength, her purpose, and her destiny.

And she saw how she was going to kill him.

Most everyone within the community knew that she had been Hill Reed’s favorite. Being a teacher’s pet was not a coveted position, at least not at Hill House. Not only had Reed not treated her any better, but he had often been crueler and more profane in his punishments.

But there was something many didn’t know. She had been destined to replace him. He had told her many times that she was to have been his successor.

For years, she had forced herself to forget his words. Forced herself to forget that Hill had seen something in her…something he identified with himself. The very thought that they had anything in common made her want to scream. But now, she allowed those memories to return, allowed those lessons to flood her mind. Hill had taught her all he knew about manipulation and coercion. He had controlled and directed his victims with words, and she had learned his methods. Drawing on all the things Hill had taught her, she would destroy Sebastian Dark, and he would never see it coming.

She started slow, almost conversationally. He wouldn’t realize what was happening until it was too late to change course. When it was time, she would turn up the heat. Sebastian had made a fatal mistake. He had tried to use her past to destroy her, and instead, he had empowered her. Now the tables would be turned. She would use the very same things to destroy him.

“You know, Pippin, you weren’t very good.” Her mouth was dry, so her voice was low, huskier than usual. She would use that to her advantage.



Sebastian jerked at the soft, almost inhuman-sounding voice. He had thought she was well past being able to talk. “What did you call me?”

“Your name. That’s what Hill named you.”

He shook his head. “No. Hill and I agreed I could change it. He told me I wasn’t Pippin any longer.”

She smiled at him then, mocking and amused. “No matter what you named yourself, you were always his Pippin. His weak, malleable little boy who everyone beat up on. Hill and I used to make fun of you all the time. We would sit together at night and watch recordings of you and laugh and laugh.”

“You lie!” he snarled. Pounding his chest with his fist, he shouted, “I am Sebastian Dark, owner and proprietor of Hill House.”

She released a long, exaggerated sigh. “So very dramatic. No wonder Reed wanted to kill you, Pippin.”

He was on his feet, stalking toward her before he realized it. Not only didn’t she sound defeated, she was acting smug and confident.

“I told you not to call me that. My name is Sebastian Dark. And what you speak is a lie. They’re all lies. I was one of Father’s favorites.”

“Really?” she drawled, her look almost pitying. “I don’t know how many times I had to talk him out of killing you.”