Page 587 of Lodestar

“The things you’ve done aren’t ideal, much as there are things I’ve done that aren’t ideal either, but we see past that. You are who I love. Who I want to be with. Who I want by my side. That’s more than enough—it’s fucking everything.”

His words had a small shiver rushing down my spine. “I used to have a mantra.”

“‘I will not bend. I will not break,’” he quoted back at me. “I know. You whisper it in your sleep.”

“I do?”

“Uh huh. You don’t have any secrets from me, Star,” he teased.

“I’m glad,” I told him, meaning it. “I-I think it’s time for a new one though.”

“Hmm?” The look he shot me was quizzical. “A new mantra?”

“Teamwork makes the dream work.”

His laughter had me hiding a smile. “I like that one.”

“Thought you might.” I turned into him. “I’m not great with words, not like you. I-I can’t say s-such lovely things. I don’t have it in me. But what I can say is that you are my person, Conor.” I stared straight at him. “You make me want to be someone who is deserving of you. You make me want to be happy. You make me want peace.You. Not Kat, not Vana. You. I want to live, Conor,” I rasped, aware that tears were flooding my eyes. “I want to live withyou. Can we do that? Can we live?”

His smile was gentle as he cupped my cheek. “I can’t wait. We’ve got a lot to do, Star. We’ve got a lot of life to live. You sure you’re ready for that?”

“I was born ready.”

“You know what? I think you were.”

He smirked and united our mouths in a soft, tender kiss that had me closing my eyes with how perfect it was.

How perfecthewas.

Those impossible-to-explain citrus notes that always reminded me of him surrounded me, drowning me in his scent. As I sucked it down, breathed him in, and found comfort in his arms, I forgot for a moment what was about to happen.

That was the power of this man.

“Does this mean I’ve earned atonement?” I whispered, staring into his eyes and drowning in them.

“You have.” He smiled before gracing me with another gentle kiss. “Now, as the woman who chopped off the head of the snake that eats itself,” he rumbled against my lips, “your work today isnotdone. You’ve still got some Is to dot and Ts to cross…

“No matter how long that takes, we handle this together, and in between, we can still live, baby. We can still have more than we had yesterday.”

With a shaky nod, believing in him, I stared at him and put on the mask I never needed to use when we were alone.

He chucked me under the chin and surprised me by gently pressing down on the wings of my phoenix tattoo that peeped out from beneath my sweetheart neckline. “Hello, Lodestar.”

“Hello, aCoooooig,” I greeted before I turned to the monitor and took a seat in front of it.

There, waiting for me on mute, were the faces of the Interpol team who I’d used to bring down the Sparrows.

Goldstein, Hoyt, as well as Ingridsdottir, Schmidt, and Deschamps.

Hoyt, as always, was scowling. “Why were we commanded to attend this meeting?”

Calmly, I studied her. “In our Brothers we trust.”

Her eyes widened then she, Ingridsdottir, and Deschamps replied, “In our Brothers we trust.”

The second the last word drifted from their lips, Goldstein demanded, “What the hell?” Then, his features pinched as red blossomed on each of the Brothers’ foreheads, then their skulls fractured, blood spurting where a sniper’s bullet blew their brains out.

“WHAT THE FUCK?!” Schmidt screamed as the other top members of the squad collapsed, some falling forward, others backward.

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