Irene’s eyes bore into Jillian’s.
“I wasn’t his mistress,” Jillian said with absolute resolution. It was the truth.
“You fucked my husband.” Irene’s rage overshadowed her newfound commitment to God. Underneath that self-righteousness stood a human with an ego and bleeding emotions.
“I fucked up your husband. I did not fuck him.”
The man her mother supposedly loved since kindergarten, sodomized Jessica—raped her. She lacked all ability to rationalize any of that. Even the words caught in her throat. Her mother would never have loved a rapist. It was easy to stay strong when the events in her life held some sort of meaning, some shred of rationale. Knox McGraw and Sunny Day having been soul mates obliterated all sense of reason.
“Let her go, Irene.”
She whipped around, snatching her bow from the floor, loading an arrow, and piercing through Knox’s shoulder in a single blink. “If I let her go, she’ll kill me.”
Psycho Bitch with the bow and arrow skills of Robin Hood could predict the future. Except Jillian wouldn’t just kill her … she’d kill Knox too.
“Besides, the reunion has just begun. We have more guests that will be joining the party.”
Knox grimaced at the arrow plunged into his shoulder. “Are you going to resurrect Sunny from the dead?” he seethed.
He ignored Jillian’s scowl. The bastard had no right to mention her mother in that context.
“You never know. I have God on my side.” Irene tossed the bow on the table.
“I think you’re worshiping a false god.” He goaded her.
“I think you’re going to die first when my original plan was to save you until last. I wanted you to watch those around you perish from your indiscretions. I fear my need to shut you up will spoil my plans.”
“I agree. Kill Knox first.”
That got both of their attention.
“Or you could let me kill him.”
Irene smirked. “You had your chance.”
“I wasn’t trying to kill him. Had I been … he’d be dead.”
She picked up the spilled pop can and headed up the stairs. “Behave, kids. I have some things to attend to.”
When the door shut, Jillian looked at Knox. “You have more protection and resources than the FBI. How the hell did she get you here?”
“She got you here.”
“She snagged me in a grief-stricken state from the airport in Portland. I was on my way to AJ’s funeral. What’s your excuse?”
“I came willingly.”
“Bullshit. Where’s your phone?”
“Home.”
Jillian shook her head. “No way.”
“Irene’s smart. Crazy, but smart. Every bit of ‘intelligence’ that came from G.A.I.L for nearly a decade came from her. She can track a mouse through a back alley in New York City. You were trained to kill with your hands, she was trained to assassinate by typing in a password on a keyboard. Trust me. She has eyes and ears on us as we speak. She’s resourceful and manipulative.” He smirked. “So believe me when I say she has people working for her that don’t even know it. They work for cash. No questions. No names.”
“The texts … did you know she was the one sending them to me? Did you know she found God in the psych ward? Did you keep this from me?”
Knox shook his head, a gruff chuckle vibrated his chest. “No. She was admitted and I let her go. I didn’t give her another thought—just happy to be rid of her. No need to keep tabs on someone locked up in a mental institution. And I sure as hell didn’t know she found God.”
Jillian narrowed her eyes. “You keep tabs on everyone. Don’t try to convince me that you didn’t know she was out.”
He shrugged. “I knew she was out, and I had her followed for a month or so, but nothing she did warranted any more of my time or resources so I pulled my men from her. No flags. No threat.”
“You were wrong.”
He nodded. “I was wrong.”
“What did she say to get you here? Why would you willingly walk into the lion’s den without someone having your back?”
“You … and Sunny.”
“Don’t. I don’t want to talk about that.”
Knox chuckled, tipping his head back against the wall and closing his eyes. “Then what do you want to talk about?”
“Luke. I want to know what you did to him, what you said to him.”
“We chatted about the words you two exchanged in Houston. I’d planned on having the same conversation with you, but out of respect, I decided to wait until after the funeral.”
“Respect? I’m not sure you know what that is.”
“I’m not the bad guy you think I am.”
“You’re a monster.”
Monsters prey on others because they have no self-control … they’re the weak ones.
Knox released a long breath. “I told Dr. Jones to forget about you. I told him to fuck as many women as it took to make that happen.”
Once a monster, always a monster. Of course he said that to Luke.