Page 53 of Filthy Lies

My lips twitched. “Finn, I didn’t know you cared.”

His cheeks flushed with color. “Fuck off.”

Still smiling, I pressed a kiss to Jake’s forehead and gave him a gentle hug.

“Conor?” Aoife asked, her voice quiet.

“Yes, sis?”

“Y-You are coming home, aren’t you?”

Finn stiffened. “What are you talking about? Of course, he is.”

Ignoring him, I locked my eyes on hers. “Not until I bring Star back with me. She’s my penguin,” I said simply. “You’ve all got yours. I want mine so I’m not going to stop until she’s here. With me. Understand?”

Her nod was slow in coming but I knew she understood.

A glance at Finn told me he did too.

Begrudgingly.

After the last couple years they’d endured together, how couldn’t they understand the importance of being with the right person?

But I was an adult. I didn’t need to ask permission to do dick in my life.

Star was mine.

She’d gotten me involved in no less than three conspiracies with repercussions I didn’t even want to imagine right now, and I wasn’t about to do this on my own.

We were a team. She might have forgotten that because she was an only child and I had brothers coming out of the woodwork, but it was about time that she was reminded of that fact.

Whether she liked it or not.

13

TEXT CHAT

PAST

Star:Are you angry with your da for cheating on your mom?

Conor:Honestly?

Star:Why would I want you to lie?

Conor:Fair point. Lol.

Conor:No. I’m not mad.

Star:Why not? You love your ma, don’t you?

Conor:I do. Even if she is a headcase.

Star:To be honest, raising all those boys probably did most of the legwork in making her insane.

Conor:True. ;) I, of course, was a saint, but I’m thinking that being kidnapped by Aryans was more of an issue.

Star::/ Forgot about that.

---