I heard his breathing on the other end, so I knew he hadn’t hung up, but he was quiet for a long while before he murmured, "Do you trust me, Star?"
I paused at that. "I trust you as much as I’m capable of," I explained slowly.
Which was not only true, but concerning.
"I trust you as much as I’m capable of too," he replied. "We’ve teamed up against the Sparrows but we’re both acting as individuals, aren’t we? Instead, I think we need to act as a collective."
"I’m listening."
"I think we need to have each other’s backs more. We both have other things we need to concentrate on. For me, Acuig and Five Points, for you, well, I’m not sure but I’m certain it’s terrifying—" I grinned at that. He knew me too well. "—but with the Sparrows, we can join forces more. When you’re working on it, I can sleep. When I’m working on it, you can rest."
Slumber was such a simple concept for most people. I wished it were that easy for me.
Maybe, if we slept more though, we’d both be able to react faster, hit back harder, and be more responsive in general to the constant flow of information that was streaming our way.
Even if I’d seen proof that his defenses were lowered, he was the only person I’d trust my vendetta with. He was also the only person who’d ever understand how hard it was for me to rasp, "I think that’s a good idea."
"Right. We’ll figure the next steps out but I need to give Savannah her new phone. She just came back."
I blinked. "I need to speak with her. Put her on the line?"
He hummed. "Two secs."
The call disconnected, then a number flashed up on my screen that was different than Savannah’s usual one even though it still used Savannah’s name on the Caller ID, and I answered.
Before I could say anything though, I listened in to Savannah’s outrage at having her phone cloned and rolled my eyes.
Seriously.
People.
Fully on board with Conor’s scorn, when she snatched the phone away, I was mostly disappointed at how Conor’s voice faded as she stalked off.
Had I really reached the point that most left behind in adolescence?
Creaming over a guy’s voice?
Fuck.
"What?"
Her snapped retort had me scowling at my screen. "Hey, don’t take it out on me that your phone had more bugs than a termite hill."
She released a sharp breath, one that I knew was one of those healing breaths. I’d heard her mom spout that shit sooo many times over the years as she tried to get me to stop internalizing my anger.
That was back when my anger had just been over regular life stuff.
Like my mom being murdered…
Not, ya know, at being kept as a sex slave with the US government’s approval.
"Sorry," she muttered. "He just really pissed me off."
See, I knew I liked him.
Grinning at the thought, I murmured, "He’s definitely not everyone’s cup of tea."
"I hate being talked down to. You know that."
I blinked. "He wasn’t."
"He was. Men." She growled. "Always treating us like we’re idiots because we have a pussy."
"Conor totally isn’t like that. If anything, he thinks you’re a dick for not recognizing how easily penetrable phones are." Surprise still welled inside me though at how angry she sounded. "Honestly, Conor’s different. He isn’t a jackass."
She harrumphed. "What’s wrong, anyway? Why are you calling?"
For the second time in as many minutes, I blinked. "You being serious? Did you forget you were almost murdered less than thirty-six hours ago?"
"Shit," she muttered under her breath. "Sorry, it’s been an eventful week."
"Conor said you were out cold for a while."
"I was. Eighteen frickin’ hours. I fell down the goddamn stairs." She huffed out an impatient breath. "Stupid. I hit my chin."
"You must have seen stars."
"I did. Ibuprofen’s a miracle worker so a lot of my discomfort’s gone, but I’ve got a wonky wrist, a nasty slash on my thigh, and I’m a bit shaken up. Compared to what I could be, I think I’m lucky."
"Glad to hear it." I sucked in a breath. "This isn’t easy for me, Savannah, but I want to say I’m sorry."
"What for?" she replied, her tone confused. Then, it darkened. "What the hell did you do now?"
I grinned at nothing before I murmured innocently, "Nothing."
"Jesus, Star. Tell me before I blow a gasket."
"You’re already inches away from doing that without my help. Don’t let me stop you."
She growled. "I swear, you’re such a pain in my ass."
I was. And she was in mine.
Jeez, I’d missed her.
Smirking at my screen, I murmured, "I’m just pulling your leg. I actually meant that I’m sorry for not taking into account how you’d be the public face of all this. I never... I just figured outing them this way would protect you. I was myopic, and it almost got you killed." My father would be so ashamed of me for not looking out for her more.
"Star, I’m a journalist. We put ourselves in danger all the time. It’s what we do. The truth is perilous, but it’s our duty to uphold it."
"You sound like Captain America."
"I’d make that outfit look so much better."
"Than Steve Rogers?" I snickered. "Yeah, if you say so."
Softly, she chuckled. "Honestly, Star, it’s all good. I knew I was putting myself in harm’s way; that was why I holed up in my apartment. I just didn’t think they’d get into my building like that."
"No, it came as quite a shock all round." Conor wasn’t the only one taken aback at how they’d gotten in. "Problem was, they went old school."
"Meaning?"
"Security footage shows the intruder pretending to be a delivery man. The doorman got up, let him in, got clocked on the head for his pains and stabbed." I heaved a sigh because it was always the innocent who suffered. "The bastard stole his key cards and his passes, then headed for your floor with them. Conor’s men looked at the door, and all four locks were picked."
"So it was a low tech home invasion?"
"Pretty much."
"Ironic considering I had a termite temple for a phone."
"Right?" I scoffed. "How dare they?"
"This phone... is it really secure?"
"Yep. As secure as the Pentagon."
"I know they killed the guy."
"As they should have."
She heaved a sigh. "Do you have any information on them?"
"What kind of information?" I hedged.
"You’re not going to tell me anything, are you?"
"Nope." I laughed when she growled. "There’s no need for you to know. Leave it to the people who don’t mind getting their hands bloody, Savannah. You just focus on the exposés. That’s where you’ll make the most difference.
"Speaking of which, I was thinking... their attack deserves a response."