Page 236 of Filthy Truth


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“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!”

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