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Did I look as dead inside as I felt?
The thought had me glancing away.
I finished washing up, left the bathroom, and returned to the living room which was where I found Conor with his legs cocked on the table, his own computer on his lap, a phone in each hand, a tablet to the side, a smaller laptop next to it. Within easy reach, there were two external mice and a spare keyboard that glowed like a rainbow.
My lips quirked at the sight. “Of course you’d go for the rainbow setting.”
His gaze drifted from his monitor to me. As he spoke, he scanned me, and I swore I felt the path he took as if he’d touched me with his hand. “I like rainbows,” he admitted.
“I’ve seen your office. It’s space age, not hippy.”
“I take my rainbows where I can find them. It’s the Irish in me.” He winked. “I’ve always been on the hunt for that pot of gold.” How he eyed me up and down told me thatIwas the pot of gold. And I wasn’t averse to that imagery. “Anyway, at least I don’t like holo.”
“That’s for Kat,” I joked.
“We can’t all appreciate navy blue and brown,” he chastised, pointing at the leather cases and slip-on pouches from which I’d unpacked my gear.
“I like demure colors,” I retorted.
“Nah, you’re too used to fading into the background for your own good.” He tipped his head to the side as if he were envisioning me in another color. The woman in me wondered which color he’d prefer. The spy didn’t give a fuck—she preferred her ‘fade into the background’ uniform.
“Your phone keeps buzzing,” he informed me, lips twitching as if he knew what I was thinking.
I blinked at the change of subject. Though I was accustomed to that in our chats, it still jolted me when he did it in person. “Probably missed call notifications,” I dismissed.
Walking over to my cell phone, I saw it had gotten enough charge to have switched itself on, then I grimaced when it registered how many times Katina had called.
“Conor…?”
“Call her now,” he ordered softly. “I’m working on some other shit. Take your time.”
I sent him a grateful look and tapped on her name.
She answered within seconds. “STAR!” she screamed before immediately bursting into tears.
The sound tore me to fucking shreds and I regretted falling asleep last night without ringing her beforehand. She should have been my first port of call after I’d finished eating with that fucker who called himself my grandfather.
Not much made me cry anymore. When you’d gone to hell and back, you just adapted to the misery of this existence. But hearing her sob tore at my heartstrings like nothing else could.
“Baby, I’m sorry I missed your calls. I’m sorry. So sorry,” I whispered, not even realizing I was saying it over and over again until she started sniffling in my ear. “I’m sorry, Kat, sweetheart. So—”
“Promise you won’t do that again!” she sobbed.
I had no idea why I did it—but I looked at Conor. He shot me a gentle smile then surprised me by dumping his laptop on the table and striding over to me.
As he slipped his arm around my waist and drew me toward the couch, I told my kid, “I swear I’ll never break another promise.”
She hiccupped in my ear. “That’s not what I asked for!”
“Kat, Star didn’t mean to cut contact with you. Sometimes, life just has a habit of breaking promises for us.”
More sniffling sounded, then she whispered, “Conor?”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
The next moment, I received a video call request, and I accepted it so she could see us.
“I knew you’d find her,” she cried, joy and relief making her bloodshot eyes bright as she swiped at her cheeks with her knuckles. “I knew it!”
