Page 489 of Lodestar

“Is this insult?” Amara, scowling, asked me.

“Nah. It’s not a curse word or anything. More like he’s saying you’retruculenttoo.”

That had Rex chuckling when Amara pursed her lips and glowered at him before she pointed to herself. “I being nice.”

“She is actually,” Rachel confirmed with a sigh as she stroked a hand over Sommer’s head while she nursed. “Star’s being the pain.”

“Hey, I brought up the anonymous tip line,” I retorted. “That’s a great way to get help to those who need it.”

“I thought you were struggling to nurse,” Alessa said softly, changing the subject because the tip line was what had triggered our argument in the first place—I wanted to fund it, and Rachel wanted to organize a gala for it.

“I tried that trick you showed me,” Rachel answered. “I don’t have enough milk to feed her, but it’s kind of soothing?—”

“I don’t need to know this,” I muttered.

“Stop being such dude,” Amara sniped. “Nothing naturaller than baby fed from mother.”

“There’s you told,” Rex mocked, earning a squint from me.

Defiantly, Rachel drawled, “Star’s pissy because she’s holding a grudge.”

“Grudge? What is grudge?”

“Like that movie,” Alessa whispered. “The one that made me cry.”

“You always cry in movies,” Amara dismissed.

“A grudge is when you’re mad at someone for holding something over you,” I explained.

As if on cue, Amara stared above my head.

“Not literally, Amara,” I retorted, folding my arms across my chest. “Anyway, I don’t have a grudge.”

“Bullshit. You do,” Rachel countered in a light voice so as not to disturb Sommer.

“Why would you have a grudge against Rachel, Star?” Alessa asked.

My jaw worked because I knew where Rachel was heading and I didn’t want to discuss it.

“I don’t want to talk about this,” was my flat retort. “The tip line and our disagreement about funding has nothing?—”

“You don’t want to talk about blackmailing rape victims? Gee, I wonder why.”

Even Rex stilled at the dichotomy of Rachel’s singsong tone and her actual words.

I gritted my teeth. “Not cool, Rachel. Not cool. That was between us when we were at war with the Sparrows.

“With the leadership in tangles and their means of communication in disarray, it might as well be a whole new world for them.”

“Who did you blackmail?” Alessa demanded.

“I don’t need to justify my actions,” I countered.

Rex peered at me. “Seems cold even for you, Star.”

“You have to do what you have to do, Rex. You saying you haven’t pulled stunts just as bad in your time?”

His clenched jaw told me that he’d shut the fuck up and wouldn’t judge my ass.

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