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Seeing they were zip-tying her to a chair, I waited for D to snag a knife from the counter and press it to Ovianar’s throat in a silent warning.
“You’re going to sit down,” I told Minerva, “without any fuss. If you try to fuck with me, D will slice her throat.”
Minerva tensed at that but gave me a nod of assent. Conor grabbed her and zip-tied her to the seat too.
Within five minutes, both of them were under control and that settled me like little else could.
I will not bend.
I will not break.
Nostrils flaring, I spat, “Which of you were a part of Operation: Jorgmundgander?”
Minerva clenched her eyes closed. “Ovianar.”
“What happened?”
She peered at the knife D was still holding to the other woman’s throat then rasped, “We hacked into the Saudi embassy. Thought we got in clean, but we didn’t. I was pregnant.” She tipped up her chin. “Ovianar took the blame and dealt with the punishment.”
“You have a kid?” I queried, surprised.
“Yeah. You fucking touch him, I’ll kill you!” she spat.
I didn’t bother being hurt. She knew what I was capable of. It was why she was speaking so freely without me having to force things and get nasty.
“I have no intention of hurting your family if you give me the answers I want.”
Her anxiety didn’t lessen. “Leave him alone.”
I heard the plea. It made something ping in my chest.
“Lodestar doesn’t hurt kids for fun.” Conor’s defense of me, so immediate, hit me on the raw. I shot him a glance, not sure if I was grateful or not.
“It doesn’t have to be for fun. She’s relentless,” Minerva hissed.
“Ovianar was drafted into Jorgmundgander?”
“She’s still in it. They just let her out of jail early for good behavior.” She swallowed. “What do you want to know?”
“I told you on the phone. I have a foster daughter and somehow, you made that happen. I want to know how.”
Minerva whispered, “I’m in the dark about most of the details. Some of this happened while she was away from me—”
I jumped in with: “You were running BDSec alone during that time?”
Her nod was shaky but guilt filtered into her expression. “I needed the cash.”
I experienced a ‘eureka’ moment. “So, that’s why you started being the go-to service for hitmen?”
BDSec had been formed in the aftermath of my ‘ex-husband’ Hans’ death. We’d started the hacktivist group with the intention of using it to bring down the people who’d hurt me but, as with anything, intentions changed.Morphed.
The US had the Ledger—Hunter Lachlan ran that. But before he came along, Europe had BDSec’s Rolodex of hitmen and they acted as escrow for the client, only paying the hired gun once proof of death of the intended target had been submitted.
“I had no choice. We were on our asses. Without Ovianar…” She bit her lip. “I broke down. It was hard for a long time and we almost lost everything, but then, when I visited her in prison, she suggested we start the service and that’s when things got better.”
“If I were you,” D drawled. “I’d remember what you do for a living and what puts food on your table and dresses your kid when you’re judging Lodestar for her actions. You’re not exactly as pure as the driven snow.”
Minerva’s mouth tightened but she bowed her head to evade eye contact with us.
