A Matter Of Justice (Grey Justice #4)(90)
“The authorities have no clue who’s responsible. I’m going to the police station later today to see if there’s any news.”
He didn’t mention the people beyond the legal realm who were searching high and low for their killers. The Justice Seekers were almost as ravaged as he was by his parents’ deaths and had sworn retribution on all responsible.
Irelyn didn’t yet know about the secret organization his parents had belonged to, and he wanted to spare her that for now. She had been through too much already.
“I know who killed them.”
He immediately assumed the obvious. The monster who had beaten her was also responsible for his parents’ deaths.
“You saw his face? You can identify him?”
“I can take you to him.”
“How? Where?”
“My home. My…my f-f-f-father killed them.”
The words hung in the air for the longest time. He just looked at her, unable to comprehend exactly what she was saying.
“Your father killed my parents?”
“He’s not my father, not really. He’s the man I live with.”
And then, like a deluge, the words spilled out of her, each one so horrific he wasn’t sure he breathed during the telling. It had all been a setup from the beginning. Her meeting him, their getting to know each other. Their little romance was all a sham to get to his parents, to kill them.
He had brought Irelyn into their home, into his parents’ lives. He was responsible for destroying two of the finest people he had ever known.
She begged, pleading for his forgiveness, but Grey walked out of the hospital room without saying a word. If he had stayed, he wasn’t quite sure what he would have done, his rage was so great. He didn’t stay away long, though. He needed details. He knew of Hill Reed. Knew all about Hill House or, as his parents had always referred to it, the murder house.
Andrew and Natalie Bishop had fought against Reed and his kind for years, but had never crossed his path until recently. Foiling the assassination plans of any killer was a dangerous endeavor. Doing so with a killer of Reed’s reputation and a small fortune on the line was imminently even more so. His parents had been on the lookout, knowing he would seek revenge at some point. They had warned him to beware, that Reed might strike at him, too.
What they had never guessed was that Reed would go about his revenge in a different way, through a lovely young woman who seemed full of goodness and light. Deceived by beauty, they had all paid a terrible price.
Grey got the rest of the details from her and went to the Justice Seekers’ council. When he revealed the name of the killer, they had raided Hill House. Only, the house was empty, and Hill Reed could not be found.
Unable to take vengeance on Reed, they instead sought justice through Irelyn. They wanted to use her to lure Reed out of hiding, or punish her outright. Grey refused to allow such a thing to happen. Yes, he was angry and hurt. He most likely hated her, but he would damn well not let her be used. She had been used enough.
He and Irelyn stole away in the dead of night. If the council had caught them, Grey would likely have died, too. The more zealous of the council members saw things only in black and white. It was during that time that he realized how justice had many different levels, colors, and shades. Allowing Irelyn to bear the brunt of what had happened would not solve anything.
For almost a year, they were on the run. She was still recovering, and they had very little money. He managed to find a few odd jobs to get them a place to stay and some food, but times were tough.
They didn’t talk about what happened. Maybe if they had, things would have gotten better faster. He focused on survival, and she… Irelyn just existed. When he finally noticed how very frail she was looking, it was almost too late. She was fading away, day by day, while he was out working and trying to provide for them. He had a goal, but she had nothing but her guilt. And Grey had done almost nothing to help her deal with it.
He took time then to face his own anger and pain. Once he did, he was able to see beyond himself to Irelyn. Instead of lying about what happened with his parents, she had told him the truth. She could have come up with any kind of story about what happened to her, and he would have believed her. The truth had been almost unbelievable, so a lie would have been so much easier for her to pull off. She hadn’t done that. Instead, she had told him everything, including all the ways she had deceived him and lied. There was no punishment he could mete out that was worse than what she was doing to herself.
He had made a decision then, one that set the course for their future. He vowed that they would put the past behind them forever, and they built a life together, one of purpose and meaning. But like the ugly little weasel he was, Hill Reed continued to haunt them. Even after death, the stench of his existence lingered. Sebastian Dark was the manifestation of that evil.
The hospital door swung open, and Grey was on his feet in a second, his gun in his hand.
“Whoa. Back down, buddy. It’s just us.”
Unable to believe his eyes, Grey stared speechlessly at the people standing at the door. Nick and Kennedy Gallagher, Kathleen and Eli Slater, Jonah and Gabby Slater.
Hell, how long had he been out of it? “What are you guys doing here?”
Kennedy was the first to move forward. “Where else would we be?” Surprising him, she gave him a hug and then looked down at Irelyn. “How is she?” she whispered.