Page 274 of Lodestar

“You get what you were looking for?”

“I did, and it was a happy, albeit unsurprising surprise.”

“How can a surprise be unsurprising?”

“Because people are always idiots, but you can have faith in their common sense, and then when they prove you were right in the first place, it’s an unsurprising surprise.”

“Okay, less of the logic. What’s unsurprisingly surprising?”

“Foundry has a meeting with Smythe this week in his office here.”

Finn’s brows rose. “Seriously?”

I smiled. “Seriously.”

“Two birds. One stone.”

“Exactly. I’m sure Star will be pleased to know they’re making it easy for us.”

“You still have to get through security,” he commented. "The AG and the White House chief of staff? Ain't gonna be easy to get past their guards."

My smirk made an appearance as I logged out of my computer. “Finn, you didn’t see them today. They’re fucking unstoppable. As a team, no one can hit us and no one would dare get in our way.”

It was like being in my personal Bourne movie, but that was between the nerdy kid who still inhabited my soul and me.

Finn, however, shook his head as he got to his feet. “No one’s unstoppable. Plan accordingly. I’d hate for you to finally find her only for it to end with your asses getting arrested or worse, killed.” With that, he patted my shoulder. “I’ll see you in the morning, Kid.”

As he left, I stared blindly at my blank computer screen then, with a sigh, switched it back on.

He was fucking right.

As I got to work, my only consolation was that I had the chance to listen to the song Star sent.

And it made me smile.

5

STAR

I stirredwhen the bedroom door opened, tilting upright on my elbow to make sure it was Conor sliding inside and no one else.

When he spotted me, he yawned. “How come you’re awake?”

“On edge. So’s Kat.”

He paused on his trudge through the room. “She’s in here?”

“Nightmare,” I said sadly. “But at least she’s upgraded to no bed-wetting. That’ll save her from feeling embarrassed tomorrow.”

“Did she remember any of the dream?”

“No. What do you think happened to her, Conor?” I could hear the hitch in my voice and knew he did too.

Both of us had showered shortly after we’d arrived at the brownstone once my cousin and Troy were settled in next door, so his clean scent gave away his proximity. I held out my hand, knowing he’d take it as he knelt on the side of the mattress next to me.

“Is it okay for me to be on the bed with her in it?”

I blinked. “I’m in the middle.”

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