Page 267 of Lodestar

Conor’s hand cupped my shoulder. “No one will get to her or Katina, Star.”

“I know they fucking won’t.”

Not without losing their brains to my bullet first.

3

STAR

We were driving backto the city when a cell rang. At first, I thought it was the phone D had given me before we split up, the one that Muñoz had been carrying at the time of his death, but it wasn’t—it was mine.

Conor was behind the wheel this time, D was with Troy and Lyra—both to make sure they didn’t run offorget lost on their way to Hell’s Kitchen—and I was in the passenger seat, mostly staring at my new ring until that was interrupted by the call.

“Private number,” I told Conor.

“When Kuznetsov called me, it was down as that.”

I grunted and hit accept. “Hello?”

“Star,” he greeted. “You have news?”

My lips quirked because I knew what he was getting at. “You can’t expect to work with a spy and not have them evade your guards.”

He clucked his tongue. “I told them to let you go at the airport?—”

“I just bet you did,” I scoffed. “Anyway, we’re not in prison,Grandfather. We’re free to do whatever we want, and rightnow, our goals align so you know anything that goes down is something that you’ll agree with.”

“Our goals might align, but I doubt our methods do.”

“Don’t act innocent when your people are the ones holding Reinier in a shipping container in the Catskills.”Never mind the fact he wanted Troy dead to avenge his son.“You can’t effect change without getting your hands dirty.”

“One day,” Kuznetsov murmured, his tone wistful, “I wonder if you’ll utter that word without contempt.”

My brow furrowed. “Which word?”

Conor snorted. “Grandfather.”

“Oh. I—” The words ‘wouldn’t count on it’ were on the tip of my tongue yet there was no denying hehadbeen helpful in some things, and it wasn’t that I thought I’d ever use the label kindly, but rubbing salt into the wound was only my style when I was torturing someone.

Kuznetsov cleared his throat. “Never mind. Where are you?”

“I’m certain you have a trace on our SUV,” Conor drawled. “If you’re trying to have an open and honest relationship with Star, Anton, then try to beopenand honest.”

Silence on his end.

On mine, my lips twitched at Conor’s retort.

Conor was a family man—it was in his bones. I knew he’d support my grandfather just because he wanted it to be beneficial for me.

Still, nothing in this life came for free, and I was definitely not free and most certainly not cheap.

“Very well.” Kuznetsov sighed. “Why are you in Stamford?”

“Because we had to collect someone.”

“Someone being…?”

My jaw worked as I rumbled, “Nothing is ever as facile as we believe it to be, Kuznetsov.”

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