Too Far Gone: A Grey Justice Novel

by Christy Reece

  “Don’t forget about the McGruder Art Show in Dallas,” Stephan said.

  “Dallas? As in Texas, in the US?”

  “Yes, I’d forgotten about that one.”

  “Are you sure these are the only places she goes? Perhaps she snuck away from her guards and met someone.”

  “Not only is she guarded better than any member of a royal family, Gabriella is quite sedate. She doesn’t have an ounce of rebellion in her body.”

  “She sounds boring. Why ever do you want her back?”

  Since she was being blunt, he would follow her lead and do the same. He answered honestly, “Because she has something I want.”

  “And that is?”

  “None of your business.” He would go only so far in his trust of this woman. How did he know that if he told her the truth she wouldn’t take offense? Some women, especially sophisticated women of the world like this one, had strange beliefs about a woman’s role.

  “I understand.” Her smile was sympathetic. “If you’ll just start talking about her, I’m sure I’ll be able to create an adequate profile to get me started.”

  He tried to remember the last time he’d seen Gabriella. The autumn party, perhaps. Who knew? She’d just flitted around, doing her duties as hostess. Her smile had been gracious, her laughter pleasing. Her knowledge on a variety of topics enabled her to engage in interesting conversations with all his guests, no matter how varied and odd. She had done the job to his satisfaction. The next day she was gone. They’d rarely spoken during the party unless it was about one of the guests. What else was there to talk about?

  “She’s about five-eight, slender but not thin, is in excellent health, has dark hair, almost black. Dark brown eyes and creamy skin. She’s an attractive young woman.”

  “Yes. I have her physical description as well as several photographs. But what about her personality? Any eccentricities?”

  “As I mentioned earlier, she paints and putters in her garden. Other than that…” He shrugged. “Who knows what young people do?”

  Though her expression didn’t change from one of pleasant professionalism, Luis got the impression that she found his lack of knowledge of his granddaughter disappointing. Not that it mattered, but the minutia of Gabriella’s life wasn’t his responsibility. He fed and clothed her. He gave her everything she needed. That was more than enough.

  “What about her friends? Perhaps I could talk with them.”

  “As I mentioned before, she’s an introvert. Doesn’t have friends.”

  “I see.”

  Luis forced himself not to squirm in his chair. The conversation was making him feel more and more uncomfortable. Lovely though this woman was, she had no right to judge how he ruled his family.

  “Will that be all? I have important matters to attend to.”

  She nodded and stood. “This will be sufficient to get me started. If anything comes to mind that you think I should know, you have my number.”

  Fearing she might not understand the extreme urgency in retrieving Gabriella as soon as possible, he urged, “I’d appreciate it if you would make this your utmost priority. Gabriella doesn’t do well on her own. She needs constant supervision.”

  “This case is my number-one priority. I’ll do everything within my power to bring Gabriella home safely.”

  “Excellent.”

  “I’ll contact you as soon as I have a lead.”

  “Yes, yes. That’s fine. Just bring her home as soon as possible.”

  ***

  She waited until she was driving away before she released a tinkling laugh. Oh, the games silly men played. Did Luis Mendoza actually believe the words he’d spouted? She certainly didn’t. But that was no matter. A job was a job. And this one happened to pay more than any she’d had before. There were layers that didn’t usually exist, along with twists and delicious secret turns. Even if Mendoza hadn’t been paying her, the entertainment value alone made it worth her while. How long had it been since she’d enjoyed anything?

  A year ago, she had emerged from the sea, damaged but not broken. Days had passed before she could even lift her head. Weeks had gone by before she had accepted that she would live. Recovery had taken a long time, but it had also given her a chance to plan, to dream. Revenge and retribution were powerful motivators.

  Those who had caused her pain would pay. That was a given. She had been left for dead. Like some sort of refuse…like garbage. Yes, those who had treated her as such would suffer.

  She was back in the game now, but it wasn’t like before. Would never be like it once was. And she had only one family to blame. The Slaters of Dallas, Texas, would be punished for what they’d done to her. She had been unsuccessful in her attempt to eliminate them, but this time she wouldn’t fail. This time, it was personal. The Slaters would die cursing the day they’d ever crossed paths with Ivy Roane.

  In the meantime, she needed to work. For money, yes. One could never have too much of that. But also for the distraction. Her plan for the Slaters would take time to coalesce. Until that day came, she would keep herself busy. Hunting down one wayward young woman wouldn’t normally be that interesting, but the parties and intrigues involved were beyond fascinating.

  Yes, she could have a bit of fun until her day of retribution came. Pitting evil men against one another was just the type of entertainment she needed.

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Utah

  They were seated back in the living room. After feeding and taking care of her new friend, Gabby felt more centered. She couldn’t say she was one hundred percent ready to face all that lay before her, but she was further along than she had been. Putting it off wasn’t going to solve anything.

  Jonah handed her a brown folder filled with a dozen or more pages. “Justice brought this with him yesterday.”

  Her hands shook as she took the folder. So innocuous looking…so boring. But the information in it contained life-changing news.

  “Do you want me to tell you what’s in it?”

  “No…” She drew in a deep, bracing breath. “I need to do this myself.”

  “Most of the pages are Antonia’s records. You’ve probably already read everything. The last page is information we got elsewhere.”

  She knew what that meant. Just the thought brought bile surging up her throat. Hiding from the truth would do no good. She had to know everything. Even though she already knew, she had to be sure.

  She opened the folder, quickly reviewed the notes she’d already read, and then flipped to the back page. She held her breath as she read the three sentences.

  Two guards confirmed your suspicions. Several weeks ago, two of Luis Mendoza’s men came to the prison and retrieved a package from Rudy Bianchi. Without a doubt, he is the sperm donor.

  The blunt words stabbed into her with the precision of a steel pipe, causing massive damage. She surged to her feet and slammed the folder with the vulgar, offensive information onto the floor. She gazed around wildly, needing an escape. She had to get out of here. Had to go somewhere…anywhere but where this hideous, outrageously disgusting piece of information resided.

  Hands gripped her shoulders and squeezed firmly. “It’s going to be all right, Gabby. Do you hear me? No matter what happens, everything will be all right.”

  “I need some air.”

  “Of course.” His hands gentle on her shoulders, he steered her toward the door and opened it. Walking out on the porch with her, he looked over his shoulder at the pup wagging his tail hopefully. “Do you want to take him with you?”

  She glanced down at her new friend. He looked so trusting, so very sweet. If she took him, he would comfort her, but she knew without a doubt she would scare him. She anticipated some major screaming and crying. He didn’t need to see that. She didn’t want anyone to witness the meltdown that was coming.

  “No. I need to be alone.”

  “I know you need solitude. But don’t go too far.”

  She barely acknowledged
his warning with a nod as she strode down the steps. The sky was slightly overcast, and a cool breeze blew in her face. She was dressed in jeans and a sweater, so she was fine for now. She might get cold later, but she couldn’t stand the thought of going back inside for a coat. She had to get away now. She had to think. She needed to breathe.

  She walked around the perimeter of the lake. It wasn’t a large body of water but was pretty and peaceful. Her frozen mind didn’t allow for coherent thought quite yet. The wind was blowing, and the tall trees swayed, rustling the leaves. Birds cawed and tweeted above her, while small woodland creatures foraged in the underbrush for food or shelter.

  She absorbed the sounds of nature, of innocence. There were no worries, no concern or awareness of evil. Their goals were simplistic, survival in its purest form. But they were wary, too. Danger lurked, and while they focused on their main goals, they were aware of outside forces that could rob them of their lives.

  And she, with supposedly higher intelligence, hadn’t been aware enough to prevent the horrendous thing that had been done to her. How had she not seen this coming? Okay, maybe not the actual event—because, who in the world would even consider such a disgusting act? But she should have seen something coming. People, to her grandfather, were lesser beings created to serve him in some capacity.

  How dare he? How dare anyone think they had a right to do this to someone? Her mind went to Antonia. They had never been close. Antonia was more than a decade older and had never been overly friendly with her. But she—

  No! Gabriella whirled around, shoved her hands through her hair, and yanked hard. No. She would not blame Antonia. She wasn’t the one at fault. Her cousin had been following the directives of an evil, sadistic monster.

  If Antonia had not done as directed, she would have been punished, maybe even killed. Her family would likely have been threatened, too. Antonia had two young sons. Like any mother, she would have done anything to protect her children, even something as hideous as this.

  Luis Mendoza was responsible for this repulsive act. And Rudolph Bianchi.

  What had they hoped to accomplish? A child with both their bloodlines? For what purpose? What reason? She wasn’t royalty. Had no bloodline that needed to be preserved. For what reason would they even want to share a great-grandchild? From what she could remember, they weren’t even friends.

  Her hand went to her stomach, and for the first time, she allowed herself to absorb the consequences of this vile act. She might be pregnant. With Rudy Bianchi’s child. She had no knowledge of this kind of procedure, no idea of the success rate with just one treatment. Did it take more than one? She would do research, she would study. She would find out and she would—

  A baby. It hit her then. An innocent child who had no control over who conceived it or how it came about might be inside of her, depending on her to keep it safe.

  As her mind unfroze and her thoughts became more coherent, one alarming truth became apparent. They would never stop looking for her. If Luis and Rudolph had gone to these lengths, there was no way either of them would ever quit. She had believed, stupidly, that her grandfather would eventually stop looking. That at some point, he would accept that she could not be found and would give up. After all, it wasn’t as if there had been any affection there. But that was before she knew he wanted to use her in this odd, sickening way.

  She drew in a breath. All right. She now knew everything. What had been done…what they wanted from her. There was no going back. The real question was, what was she going to do about the future? They might have gotten away with doing this thing, but she’d be damned if they had any more control over her life or her actions.

  She took in the beauty of nature, let the peace wash over her, and knew her answer. If she was pregnant, then so be it. She would love this child as her own. The sperm donor did not matter. And she swore, with all the strength within her, that no one on this earth, not Luis Mendoza, not Rudolph Bianchi, or his repulsive grandson Rudy, would ever dare touch her child. She’d kill them all before she let that happen.

  His heart heavy, Jonah watched Gabby walk away from the cabin. Her face was like white marble. The only color had been her eyes, which held a deep, wrenching agony. She had been betrayed in the worst possible way by a man who should have protected her. And Jonah had no idea how to help her.

  He’d had to let her go. She needed solitude—something he understood all too well. But her safety was still his number-one priority. And while he was confident that no one could trace them here, he would not be blasé.

  He waited until he could no longer see her and then turned to the stairway, taking three at a time. The third floor was one of the biggest reasons he’d bought the cabin. One giant room with fourteen windows that gave a bird’s-eye view of the entire area.

  Other than a lone chair and a small table, the room wasn’t furnished. After his release from prison, he’d bought this place and had spent hours on end in this room, looking out over the area and coming to terms with everything that had happened…and all that he had lost.

  He lifted the high-powered binoculars he kept on the table and spotted Gabby within seconds. Her arms were wrapped around herself, her shoulders slumped, her head downcast. Working through her grief would take time.

  He tried to imagine how she might feel and knew there was no way he could. This was too personal and intimate. In a sense, she had been raped. The lack of violence didn’t change that this thing had been forced on her without her consent.

  It was all so unbelievable…sterile and revolting at the same time. As much as he had firsthand knowledge of what a wealthy, power-hungry, narcissistic man would do to further his agenda, his mind reeled at the enormity of this.

  Just what had the bastards intended? And why? Why the hell would a child be so important that Luis would approve this screwed-up way to create one? Why would a grandchild with Mendoza blood mean anything to Rudolph Bianchi? What were they missing?

  And if a child was conceived, what would Mendoza and Bianchi do to get their hands on it?

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Two hours later, Gabby returned to the cabin. Though she was still icicle pale, the cool, determined look in her eyes told Jonah she was ready to move forward. He knew that feeling all too well. When shit rained down on you, you had two choices—let it cover you completely, or grab a shovel and dig your way out.

  She sat on the sofa, and without any prompting, her new friend, all forty-two pounds of him, jumped up beside her and put his head on her lap. She laughed softly, and a delightful color bloomed in her cheeks.

  “Have you thought of a name yet?”

  “Chamo.”

  “Venezuelan for friend. Right?”

  “Yes.” She stroked his head and smiled. “Friend.”

  “That’s a good name.”

  Her posture straightened, and the look she sent him said she was ready for more. “All right. Tell me everything you know. Don’t hold anything back. I need to know what I’m dealing with.”

  “We thought it was strange that you didn’t know the reason you were seeing the doctor. And as you said, you were drugged on the pretense of needing your nerves calmed. Justice’s IT people are the best in the business. Charlie, one of his best hackers, said that it was alarmingly easy for her to get into your medical records.”

  “She’s right. It was incredibly simple. I thought perhaps Antonia’s office staff was just careless, although they have never struck me as being anything less than professional.”

  “Charlie said that was the weird part. She couldn’t access any other patient records that easily. She tried, just to see. Everyone else’s record was secure, as were yours until a couple of days ago. From what she could tell, the records had been recently uploaded to that particular file.”

  “Do you think Antonia did that on purpose? Perhaps to draw me out and then trace my location?”

  “Possibly. Or it could be that she knew at some point you might try to find out what
was done to you and she wanted you to know. She may have been trying to help you out.”

  She closed her eyes for a moment. Jonah wasn’t sure if it was because she was weary or was considering his words. When she opened them, he thought it had been a combination of both.

  “You could be right. My grandfather…Luis…would have had to coerce her to do this.”

  He noticed her stumble over calling him her grandfather. It was something he could identify with. He had stopped referring to Mathias as his father years ago. The word should be said with affection, not disdain.

  “You think Luis threatened her?”

  “It is the norm for him. The way he gets things done. He likely threatened to harm her family.” She took another breath. “What else?”

  “The chances of pregnancy are low. It often takes several procedures before conception can take place.”

  She flinched, but he wasn’t going to stop. She’d said she wanted to know everything. Besides, sugarcoating the situation wasn’t possible. There was no way to make this look better.

  “Where are the pregnancy kits?”

  In awe of her bravery and self-control, Jonah was happy he could at least give her something she asked for. “I put them in your bathroom upstairs. It might not show yet. You—”

  She held up her hand. “I understand. I’ll do this every day until I’m sure.”

  Noting that her hand was shaking and she’d had as much of this discussion as she could handle, Jonah backed off. She’d held up a lot better than he’d ever imagined.

  “So what now?”

  “Since we don’t know the results, we can’t—”

  She held up her hand again. He was pleased to see that it was slightly steadier than before. “Just to be clear, if I am pregnant, I’m keeping the baby.”

  “That’s certainly your decision, but don’t you want to think about—”

  “There’s nothing to think about. A child is innocent, no matter who his or her parents are.”