Page 545 of Lodestar

She cleared her throat. “He’s tracking Temperance Black.”

“Cin’s cousin?”

“Yeah. Her.”

“What’s she done?”

“She’s a Brother.”

“Thought they were the good guys?”

Star sighed. “What’s a good guy these days?”

“Whoa, that’s a philosophical debate in the making,” I said, reeling her in. “Can you contact Eagle Eyes and get him to speak with Maverick?”

“I guess. I don’t know why he wouldn’t be picking up your call though, Mav.” She pursed her lips. “Leave it with me. I’ll update you tomorrow.”

“Alessa said you’re meeting with Rachel tomorrow?”

“I am. At her place. Is she still not talking to me?”

Maverick didn’t answer.

I squeezed Star’s shoulder again because we both knew what that meant.

“I’ll drop Kat off at Rach’s place tomorrow for the weekend, okay? Let Alessa know she can collect her from there.”

“Not sure when I became your go-between but I’ll tell her.”

Star huffed out a laugh. “You became that the day you met me.”

“And what an inauspicious day that was for my meeting with the Antichrist.”

Rolling her eyes, Star rumbled, “You can’t see it but I’m flipping you the bird.”

“Use it for better things, like emailing Eagle Eyes and getting him to call me ASAP.”

When he hung up, I leaned my ass against her desk and stared down at her. “What was going on in Kembesh?”

She blinked up at me. “Why do you assume I know?”

I scoffed. “Don’t give me the innocent eyes. We both know they’re wasted on me.”

She smirked. “That’s why I like you the best though.”

“You’re full of charm and BS.”

Rather than be annoyed, she looked even more like the cat who’d eaten the canary at my wording as she rocked back in her seat. “Kembesh borders Pakistan and a bunch of ex-Soviet states. Weapons flowed into Taliban forces there. That’s why the US established an outpost in that area.Thatand it’s where Dost Mohamet Khan used to live before the place wasdestroyed during the battle. Officially, his title was ‘government administrator’ for that region.”

“Unofficially?”

“Thick as thieves with the Taliban.” She sniffed. “Sparrows too.”

“When you said that you thought a CIA agent had turned, you thought they were working with the Taliban?”

She hesitated. “I’m not sure. I just knew someone was dirty.”

“Didn’t you have any suspicions?”

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