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“I never asked for you to be impressed,” he countered, but his voice contained no ire.
From the corner of my eye, I studied them both, well aware that Star was still vibrating like I’d hooked her up to that prototype toy I was building for her and that Kuznetsov eyed her warily, as if she were about to strike.
His guards remained on red alert which also spoke louder than words…
But she stayed quiet.
Her spoon dipped into the gooey mass of bread and cheese and she placed it between her lips with a grace that came as a surprise.
Not that I figured she’d eat like a Viking or anything but there was a demureness about her actions that took me aback.
A quick glance at her lap showed me how her legs were pressed together, the toes of one foot neatly tucked behind the other ankle.
This wasn’t a brat who’d been raised on tour buses. This was—
“Did you attend a boarding school?”
Star arched a brow at the astonishment in my tone. “Why would that come as a surprise considering how rich my father was and how fucked up everything was after Mother died?”
Mother. Not Mom.
I winced for her hurt but still questioned, “Where?”
“Switzerland, of course. Only the best for Gerry Sullivan’s daughter who needed‘structure’to overcome her mother’s death.” Her sneer told me what she thought about that ‘structure’ before it morphed into a smug grin. “I got expelled before I could graduate though.” It was almost a relief to hear her sounding more like the woman I knew—cocky.
I’d take that over bitter.
“How long were you there?” Kuznetsov asked politely, but I got the feeling he already knew the answer.
“Four months.”
“What got you expelled?” I quipped.
Soup forgotten, I turned into her, my curiosity so absolute that it was easy to forget we were in the middle of a conspiracy with a previously unknown grandfather who was currently existing on tenterhooks just in case she tried to attack him again.
“I hacked into their database.” She winked at me, knowing full well I’d enjoy this story. Hackers loved sharing their wins with people they trusted, people who understood and appreciated their skills. “Found the good shit on the girls and sent it to a gossip rag in London.”
My mouth rounded. “They pinned it on you?”
She chuckled. “I made sure they knew it was me behind the job.”
“Jesus.”
“Got myself established with some dollars and began the emancipation process from my dad.”
If I’d been gaping before, that was nothing to now. “What?! You divorced Gerry Sullivan?”
She snorted. “You know it’s weird when you do that, don’t you? He wasn’t Gerry Sullivan to me.” Her gaze dropped to her soup. “I was his daughter, and I was trying to shake some sense into him by being a rebellious brat.”
Guilt hit me. “Sorry, Star. You know I—” I grimaced. There was no excuse, not when she was hurting. “What happened?”
“The record company swept it under the rug. It never got pushed through.”
“So you didn’t get emancipated?”
“No. I’m glad now that I didn’t, but back then I was furious.”
“I’d gather he was too?”
