Page 467 of Lodestar

“A modeling agency?” I mocked.

Staring down at her nail-less thumb, she whispered, “No. He was in law enforcement.”

“Did you know when you approached him?”

Her mouth trembled. “I did. I’d heard him talking on the phone outside.”

“What made you approach him? Revenge?”

“No!”

Lie.

“Liar,” I rumbled, jerking the nail file at her until she was scrabbling away from me, dragging her ass against the ground.

As I chased her, she cried, “No! It wasn’t revenge!”

“What was it, then?”

“I heard him talking about Conor—” She flashed both Brennan and I desperate looks. “—on the phone with someone called Smythe. H-He said…”

“What did he say?” I questioned when she let the words fade.

“They were laughing,” she whispered. “About getting rid of him. I was going to help! Going to help save him?—”

I couldn’t stop my chuckle from falling. “Two lies. Two nails, Priestley.”

She started sobbing before I got anywhere near her. This time, I didn’t have to kick her shoulder to incapacitate her. Brennan was there. His foot was on her chest as he held her down, snarling, “You knew someone was going to come after Conor and didn’t warn us? That was your one fucking chance to get back in our good books, bitch.”

Priestley was too busy screaming as I tore off two more nails.

When she fainted from the pain, I stared at Brennan triumphantly. “Still think she should be saved because she’s a girl?”

His mouth was taut and there was a raging fire in his eyes at the danger she could have spared Conor from.

I had my answer.

SEC WADES INTO SPARROWS INVESTIGATIONS

Falken Finances shutdown by the SEC under the guidance of Interpol’s Special Trafficking Unit amid the deepening investigation into the ‘Sparrows’ organization and its ties.

46

CONOR

SOMEONE SAVED MY LIFE TONIGHT - ELTON JOHN

“She’s got cancer.”

I arched a brow at Ma as I guided her around our fourth apartment viewing. “Is it going to kill her?”

“They’ve got it under control for the moment.” Ma studied me, more interested in my question regarding Dotty O’Reilly’s current status healthwise than the property. “Why are you asking?”

“Because Priestley isn’t going to be around for much longer.”

Understatement.

Priestley was lucky to have lived this long after the Summit. It was only because we’d been busy that Star hadn’t dealt with her yet.

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