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“I know, Star.”
When I frowned up at him, it clicked in my head. Just like he’d made that list of shrinks for Kat, I’d need to do this.
“Leave it with me,” I told him softly.
“No, I—”
“Leave it with me,” I repeated, brushing my fingertips over his jaw. “This is women’s business.”
Was I surprised when he blew out a breath and nodded? Not entirely. Some things were just too hard to face. I knew Callum had been a close friend. Someone on his ‘crew.’ Not that I’d seen much evidence of this so-called crew. At least, not for Conor.
I’d met Finn’s when Troy and Lyra were staying in the brownstone next door to his. Aidan’s were around too, those cutie Frasier brothers, and so were Brennan’s, now that I thought about it.
Seemed like the younger brothers didn’t have as much use for extra men as the older ones did.
“Don’t—” He bit off whatever he was going to say, then grated out, “She has a baby.”
“You ready to look after one?”
He swallowed. “The kid has a grandmother.”
“Then she’ll be the one raising him and if she dies because she’s a treacherous cunt, then we’ll take him in.”
“You mean that, don’t you?”
“Kids shouldn’t suffer because their parents are pieces of shit.”
He tucked his arm around my waist and squeezed me against his side. That squeeze told me he agreed but I’d robbed him of words—I liked doing that to him.
I could hear talking at the other end of the warehouse, so I knew he had to hear it too.
I was half-expecting him to drop his hold on me as we neared them, but instead he pressed a kiss to my temple. “If you were any other woman, I’d let go of you because some asswipes will use someone’s beloved as a weapon to hurt men like me.”
My lips curved. “I appreciate your faith in me.”
“Always.”
So, that was how we strolled into a Summit.
And it garnered attention.
Mostly from the Triads who were the staunchest and most ‘traditional’ faction going.
What with the Valentini Don being obsessed with his wife and Aidan being all loved up for Savannah—neither of them could judge. As for Maxim Lyanov, he knew not to fuck with me anyway.
“Conor,” Aidan greeted. “Star.”
Brennan looked as dour as ever—the dude was a dick but he grew on you like skin cancer.
Finn’s smile was more in his eyes than on his lips, but I figured that was from our current location.
The Valentinis and The Forgotten Boys—ex-Bratva—just peered at me like I was a Martian who’d stopped by for coffee. As for the Triads, I could see the calculations being made in their eyes.
Felt them, even.
When one of their guards just happened to drift by, fuck only knew his intent, so I grabbed his arm, dragged it behind his back, kicked his feet out from under him, drew his gun from his shoulder holster, and pressed it between his brows.
By this point, Conor had let go of his hold on me, but his amusement was as much in his eyes as it was in Finn’s.
