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STAR

Rachel gritted her teeth. “Why are you so truculent?”

“What this mean?”

Alessa, as Ukrainian as Amara, hitched a shoulder. “Don’t ask me.”

I shot Amara a glance. “It means I’m a difficult pain in the ass.”

“ Tak . This why I like you. I also am difficult.”

Rachel grunted. “I know. But you have an excuse.”

“What excuse?” Alessa questioned, evidently curious as to the First Lady of the MC’s logic.

“The same one you have—English isn’t your first language.”

I smirked at Rachel. “You just can’t stand that I have ideas that will work.”

“You’ve never been involved in something like this before. How do you know it’ll work?”

“Because people hate those galas you’re oh, so famous for.”

“Uh, no , they don’t. They’re a legitimate tax write off and the women get to wear their jewels and brag to their friends about who they’re banging. This is a tried and tested method of raising funds for the new foundation.”

I rubbed a finger down my nose, making sure she knew that I was flipping her the bird.

“You might find it boring, Star,” Alessa said kindly, “but maybe it’s something rich Americans like doing.”

“Star was rich American. Father rock star, no?” Amara demanded.

I snorted. “Yeah. Why won’t you just let me fund the charity, Rachel? Then we don’t have to answer to any-fucking-one.”

“Apart from you . I’d prefer to owe Lucifer a favor.”

That had me cackling. “Good one.”

“I mean it.”

“I know you do.”

“Plus, we need more than your fortune if we’re going to make a difference.” Rachel sucked in a breath, her Type-A ass straightening the many items of stationery she’d brought with her to the meeting room.

AKA her dining room.

“Rach?” Rex, her Old Man, hollered from down the stairs. “Where are you? Got a kid that needs feeding and I tried but she prefers you.”

Rachel’s nose crinkled. “I’m so sorry, ladies.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” was Alessa’s kind retort. “Sommer needs to eat and we’re all friends here.”

Amara either didn’t agree or didn’t care. “What about Lily? She rich. Bottomless is her bank account, no?” she queried. “Anyway, she your assistant. Why she no here?”

Lily Lancaster was not only Rachel’s assistant, but she was the daughter of the one-time Sparrows’ money man—Donavan Lancaster.

On top of that, she was the Old Lady of the MC’s Road Captain, Link, and Kat and I had lived at her house until we’d moved out. Alessa and Maverick still lived in her pool house.

She was also a darling.

And if I said that, it meant she was pretty much ready for canonization.

“I’m in the dining room,” Rachel belatedly called out to Rex. “Lily isn’t here because I have her working on other projects right now. I can’t hit her up for cash every time I?—”

“Just wait. I will. Especially if it means I don’t have to attend a fucking gala,” I retorted, earning myself a cool glare from Rachel.

Alessa started cooing over the baby the moment Rex ambled through the door.

Amara, as disinterested as I, stared at her nails.

A flustered Rachel took Sommer, and Rex pressed a hand to her shoulder, squeezing gently. “No rush, babe.”

Sommer didn’t agree as she immediately started fussing.

“You can feed her here. I’ve seen more interesting tits than yours before, Rachel,” I said easily, rocking back in my chair, waiting for her to glower at me.

Something had triggered Rachel’s anxiety this morning—she’d been persnickety since we showed up—and she and I had a difficult relationship at the best of times. Today, I was being a pain just so she had somewhere to focus her annoyance.

Anxiety was a bitch, and it was new for the lawyer who made ice look warm and cozy on a good day to be showing her emotions. I figured Rex thawing her out was messing with her mojo.

On cue, Rachel did glower at me, but she worked some magic with her shirt and Sommer disappeared beneath it.

Rex, his hand still on Rachel’s shoulder, pulled some other kind of magic stunt because one second, she was sitting on the chair, and the next, she was perched on his lap while he sat on the chair.

The moment she rested against him, she released a sigh.

It’d be sweet if I was into that shit.

“What are you guys arguing about? I could hear you bickering upstairs.”

“I not bicker.”

Rex frowned. “You’re a natural bickerer.”

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

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

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.

Good .

It wasn’t like he was a fucking angel.

“Who did you blackmail?” Alessa snapped, her soft voice hardening.

Because it was her, I actually answered, “I have no reason to explain myself when I was in the middle of a war. But the daughter of a bank president who gave me access to Sparrows’ bank accounts from inside his own bank and others he had access to as a board member in some Swiss accounts.” I tipped up my chin. “Rachel gave me permission to do it, so you can turn that judgmental look onto her too.”

Rachel sniffed.

Amara frowned. “You needed permission? What are you? Toddler?”

“What?” Rex stopped snickering when I glared at him. “It was funny. It’s not like you’re the kind of woman who usually asks for permission.”

“I had to ask because Rachel told me she’d have Kat taken from me?—”

Alessa gasped. “You wouldn’t!”

“No. You’re her next of kin, Alessa. You’d have been given custody of her,” Rachel soothed.

It gratified me when she appeared as if she regretted opening that particular can of worms too.

“Who would take her?” Amara queried, her expression puzzled. “She brat. No one want her.”

“I take exception to that,” I grumbled, even though I couldn’t deny Kat was a brat. That was what made her interesting.

“Star doesn’t exactly have a legal claim to Katina. You know, what with kidnapping her and crossing state lines?—”

“Kidnapping?” Amara muttered, more puzzled than ever. “How do you kidnap someone who is your daughter?”

Rachel heaved a sigh. “Ohio, the state, fostered Katina into Star's care. She wasn’t supposed to bring her to New Jersey without express approval. Ergo, she kidnapped Katina. There are probably all kinds of alerts open on Kat’s head.”

“There won’t be for long,” I sniped. “I’m dealing with it.”

“Dealing with it? The only way you can deal with that is to pull shady moves,” Rachel retorted.

I growled under my breath. “Why the fuck did you bring me in on this foundation if you disapprove of everything I’ve done?!”

“Because you should be involved. No one has worked harder to help the victims than you, but you’re so fucking difficult as usual that you’re impossible to work with,” Rachel spat, which made Sommer burble a wail as she stopped nursing.

She was the only reason I didn’t storm to my feet or slam my hands against the table in annoyance.

Gritting my teeth, I bit out, “Two words. Pot. Kettle.”

Rachel narrowed her eyes at me. “You’re the ornery one.”

“Hate to break it to you, Rach, but you’re not exactly a teddy bear.” I sniffed. “We need to find a common ground if we’re going to work together.”

“Bring Lily in. She’s a natural peacemaker. Plus, she’s rich as fuck and will donate,” was Rex’s pragmatic answer.

He wasn’t wrong about her being ‘rich as fuck’—Lily had a piggy bank full of billions , not just a few paltry million like me. Or Rex, and probably Rachel, for that matter. In fact, now that I thought about it, Amara and Alessa had also received a couple million from Lily as unofficial compensation for what her father and brother had put them through when they were enslaved by them.

I was literally surrounded by millionaires.

“That’s not a bad idea,” I muttered, concocting a plan to have Lily and I fund the tip line because, whatever Rachel thought, we needed that in place. Stat.

"First my idea," Amara groused.

“We do work well together,” Rachel mused. “Tiff would be good too. She and Lily bounce off each other.”

“Hell, while we’re at it, why don’t we make it a whole Old Ladies’ project?” I queried. “It’s not like Giulia, Indy, and Stone don’t have something to bring to the party.”

Rex hitched a shoulder. “Sounds smart to me.”

Rachel pursed her lips. “You can deal with Giulia.”

I grinned. “You afwaid of a wittle Old Lady, Rachel?”

Her eyes promised me hell which was creepy considering she was stroking Sommer’s head lovingly. “No, but you’re the same level of annoying so you two can pair off.”

Rex laughed. “She’s not wrong.”

Though I huffed, I couldn’t argue. Amara nodded. “Is good idea. Your brains not just in your balls, Rex.”

“Why, thank you, Amara,” he said pleasantly. “Always nice to get a compliment from you.” In an undertone, he muttered, “Instead of another fucking dog.” As if their new pup heard his species being taken in vain, Alfonso started barking in the backyard.

“Or kittens,” I added.

“I have new ones,” Amara offered, tone eager. “If you want more. A rabbit too.”

“No! Two are enough. And where the fuck did you get a rabbit from?”

After that, the incendiary meeting defused some with the presence of Rex and Sommer. Once we agreed that bringing in the Old Ladies was a great idea, I ceded to the fact that a gala would bring international attention to our foundation which was what we needed.

As well as cash.

Lots and lots of cash.

What with safe houses and the legal costs of helping victims gain citizenship if they wanted to stay here in the States. Never mind chartering jets to get them back to their home countries if they preferred that option, plus the funds to help the women once they were back home, not just with shelter and food, but therapy too because fuck if they didn’t need that—it all cost a fortune.

As we headed out, Rex caught me before I could leave. I tipped my chin at Alessa who I’d brought over to Rachel’s house and was returning to Lily’s home.

“Wait for me in the car,” I told her, passing her the keys.

As she disappeared with a sullen glare, I arched a brow at Rex. “If this is about me giving Rachel shit?—”

“Nah, you drive her crazy but she likes it. Says it keeps her sharp.”

“Huh.”

His lips twisted. “You remember when we brought Donavan Lancaster over to the States?”

“Ya mean after he fled to Asia and we hauled his ass back from Cambodia?”

“Yup. A guy helped us?—”

Watching Amara walk back to the clubhouse, I angled my chin up and gave him the side-eye. “I remember, Rex. I never forget a favor.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed. “His sister…”

My mouth tightened. “Was a Sparrows’ victim.”

“ Was ?”

“Yeah. Was.”

“Dammit to hell. Did you tell the?—”

“Of course, I informed the family. What do you take me for?”

“Steel wanted to know, so I’ll fill him in.” He cupped my shoulder. “Not sure how you get as much done as you do, but fuck if I’m not grateful for it.” A sigh escaped him. “We live in a cruel world, Lodestar.”

There was no arguing with that. “And it’s getting crueler.”

“I hoped that… after he helped us…”

“I think we need to face facts that we’re not always going to be able to deliver happy endings.” God, that was hard to get out. My throat felt raw, as if salt had grazed the lining of my voice box and was scratching it with every word I uttered. “I’d better get out of here.”

Nodding, Rex did the weirdest thing—he drew me into him and squeezed me in a hug. “I shouldn’t have judged you in there. I’m sorry, Star.”

I relented just enough to hug him in return. “Don’t worry about it.” When he patted me on the back again, I told him, “Can tell you’ve picked up daughters along the way. You’re turning sentimental in your old age.”

He winked at me. “You think that’s an insult, but I know otherwise. Drive safely back to the city, ya hear me?”

“I hear you.”

With a final hug, we parted, and from the dead silence in the car when I jumped behind the wheel, I knew I was in for a frosty ride over to Lily’s place.

Heaving a sigh, I muttered, “Alessa, I’ve done worse shit over the years than blackmail someone, and I’d do worse still to take down the Sparrows.”

“Does Conor know?”

That had me scowling at her as I pulled off Rachel’s driveway. “Do you think he’d toss me out if he did? He knows what I’m capable of.”

“That means he doesn’t know.”

“What’s your problem, Alessa?”

“I’d want to know if Maverick was capable of hurting people who’d already been?—”

“Fuck off, Alessa,” I snapped, taken aback by her judgmental tone despite the fact I’d been forewarned by her reaction in Rachel’s dining room. “You think that’s the worst any of us have done? Jesus Christ, we were both soldiers. You think it’s okay to kill people?”

“No, but?—”

“No. No buts. Don’t you dare judge me when I’m the goddamn reason one of the largest human trafficking rings in the world has imploded. You want me to tell Conor? I’ll tell him. In my time.

“Now, I don’t want to talk to you. This whole meeting was a headache and I have enough shit of my own to handle without adding to the mess.”

She didn’t reply and I didn’t expect her to.

When we pulled up outside the gates of Lily’s home, I drawled, “Go on, Ms. Innocent. You get your pious, self-righteous ass inside and tell Maverick what a cunt I am for doing what had to be done to get the answers we needed to take down a centuries-old secret fucking society.”

She shot me a stony look but jumped out of my ride.

I reversed and shot off down the street, relieved when I was on the highway and heading back to Manhattan.

There was only one problem.

It was pretty fucking big too.

If easy, happy-go-lucky Alessa could react like that, how would Conor?

I wanted to be confident in him, wanted to think he’d accept that I did what had to be done to finish the job, but…

No matter what I’d said to Alessa, there was always a ‘but.’

Especially when taking his past into consideration.

With my eyes locked on the city skyline in the distance, I whispered under my breath, “Fuck.”