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Her smile was sheepish. “You’re too good, you know that?”
“Makes up for how naughty you are.”
A gleam appeared in her eyes. “You like me when I’m naughty.”
“Bet your sweet ass—”
“STAR! Suzette peed on the rug!”
She growled under her breath. “I showed you the litter box! And since when do cats pee on rugs? That’s for dogs!”
When she stormed off after her, both of their shouts breaking up the still silence of only moments before, a dopey smile quirked along my lips as I rocked back in my chair.
I wasn’t meant for silence.
I’d been the middle child in a large family—chaos was in my bloodstream.
That didn’t stop me from wincing when a loud crash sounded in the living room and Kat yelled, “Sorry, Conor!”
Despite the fact I'd curated everything in my apartment, I had to smile at the sounds of life both women brought to it.
God, it was good to have them home.
29
STAR
Troy held out a hand for Anton to shake. “Pleasure to meet you, sir.”
My lips curved at her unusually polite tone. “Troy was in my unit with me, Anton. Same as Dead To Me. Before everything went to shit.”
“For both of us,” Troy retorted.
“Oh, I know,” I countered easily, tumbling back onto the couch so I was eye-level with Lyra who was hiding at Troy’s side. “Are you going to meet, Anton, Lyra?” I asked, tone kind. “He’s been waiting a long time to meet you.”
Troy patted her head. “She’s nervous.”
“I am also nervous, Lyra.” Anton heaved a heavy breath as he sank onto the couch beside me.
A couch that had taken D, Troy, and me to edge into place yesterday when we’d helped move her in.
As he settled on the seat, his suit jacket rode up, revealing a large scar on his wrist that appeared to run vertically along his forearm.
Suicide?
Perhaps.
The thick rope of pink flesh was old and slightly faded, but still raised.
Like always, there was the faintest delay before Lyra carefully enunciated, “Why are you nervous?”
“Because I think if I say anything to upset you, Troy will make me regret the day I was born.”
Lyra peeped out from behind Troy’s fatigues. “When were you born?”
“A very long time ago.”
“I can count to five hundred.”
