Chapter 54 Stan
FIFTY-FOUR
STAN
When Kitty headed back to Lucas’s, I waited for the elevator doors to close and snatched at the farewell kiss she shot me with a goofy grin. Still wearing that same grin, my fist pressed up against my heart, I grabbed my cell.
“What?”
“I need to see you.”
“Two minutes.”
I put the phone down then turned my back on the bank of elevators, purposely exposing a weakness. Conveying, I hoped, my trust.
When the doors opened, I turned around and found Star leaning against the wall.
I heaved a sigh when I saw the other occupant. “Conor.”
He dipped his chin at me.
“‘Sup?”
“What do you know of Ilya Levin?”
“Right-hand man of the Krestniy Otets’ Ilya Levin?” Conor inquired.
“Nephew,” I corrected, amused when they blinked at me. Simultaneously.
“What about him?”
“The Bracktons present us with a problem,” I replied instead.
“We overheard your call with Eva Martinez,” Star remarked.
“Star!”
“What?!” She clucked her tongue at Conor when he scowled at her. “I told you I like this one. He’s good people. His brain gets him into trouble just like ours does.” Though her fiancé grimaced, she carried on, “If the Bracktons, Deveres, and Korhonens are in cahoots with the Albanians…”
“Well, the Bracktons live in the city.”
“Gotta love easy access,” she concurred.
“Precisely.” I shoved my hands in my pockets. “I don’t think we need a Summit. I think we need to break Brackton Jr.”
“And what does that gain us?”
“Conor, use those IQ points. A spy!” She practically bounced on her toes. “I like this plan!”
“I need a favor.”
“When don’t you?” Conor groused.
“Brackton put his mom in a mental health institution.”
“Because?”
“She hired Taube to take out Daddy.”
“Better a mental health spa than Rikers, I guess.”
“I want her out of there.”
Conor frowned. “Why?”
“Because she’s Ilya Levin’s mom.”
Star held up a hand. “Wait a minute. You’re telling me that Graham Brackton, the Viseon billionaire, hedge-fund hedgehog, all-round Machiavellian cunt… was married to the sister of the Krestniy Otets of the Muscovian Bratva? Our known nemesis? The pig swill of all pig swill?”
“I am. I’m also telling you that Brackton’s kid from before he married Anastasia is in the same institution.”
“They have a family plan or something?” she sniped.
Conor rubbed his chin. “Why does the sister count?”
“We know her by her alias.”
Star shot me an expectant look.
“I Told You So.”
Her mouth dropped open, then she spun on her heel and prodded Conor in the chest. “You owe me a million dollars. I told you she wasn’t a CIA stooge!”
“I only pay out when you can prove it,” he taunted. “No proof, no payout. Those were your rules.”
“Fuck. Knew that’d bite me in the ass—”
“If you two are finished...” I folded my arms across my chest. “…we have work to do.”
“Does Levin want to take out I Told You So?”
I snorted. “In the literal sense.”
“Huh?” Star scowled. “He does want to assassinate her?”
“No. He wants to take her out. Literally.”
At her continued confusion, Conor chortled. “Told you I was the romantic one in our relationship. Baby, he wants to date her.”
“More like fuck her, breed her, marry her. Not sure which order but yeah…”
“And what do you get for helping Levin?” Star inquired before gaping at me. “Let me guess—begins with ‘R’ and ends with ‘Ubies’?”
“Maybe.” A smile creased my lips. “But no. He wants to take out the Krestniy Otets.”
“And promised you his allegiance?”
I nodded at Conor. “You’re phasing out of the life. We’re not.”
“He has a point. Plus, his allies are our allies.” Star tapped her toe. Then slouched against the wall like a puppet whose strings had been cut. “These goddamn cabals will be the end of me. What the fuck am I even fighting for?”
“Your kids. Conor. Control."
Star’s eyes dampened, but her man yanked her upright and straight into a hug.
I glanced away to give them a modicum of privacy but I heard him whisper, “There’s wisdom in what he says.”
“I know.” She pouted, sounding more like herself. She pulled back but kept her arms looped around his waist. “I hate that.”
“We’ll talk to Aidan. He’ll be leaving for the Summit soon.” Conor squeezed her into another hug. “I won’t let these assholes gain the foothold that the Sparrows did. I promise you, Star.”
“You can’t promise that. They might already be bigger—”
“These fuckers are playing at war.” He chucked her under the chin. “We’re experts.”