Chapter 42
FORTY-TWO
STAN
“What the hell?” I snarled when, a few minutes away from our stop, someone tugged on the door handle to the back seat at a red light.
A face peered through the window that had me hissing under my breath before releasing the lock and opening it.
“The fuck do you want?” I demanded as the privacy compartment lowered and my guest and I came face-to-face with Dante and Chad, who pointed guns at the back seat.
If I didn’t have ultimate faith in the fear my poisons caused in the men, I might have considered this to be an ambush.
Instead, I wafted a hand at their weapons.
“Sir?” Chad did a double take when he saw who’d slipped into the car.
“What do you think I want?” Star Sullivan snarled as she threw herself on the seat opposite me then turned to frown at Chad. “Thought you worked on Aurora’s detail?”
Flicking a wary look between us, Chad cleared his throat.
Answering on his behalf, I mocked, “He’s good company.”
Star cackled. “The best.”
I flicked my fingers at the veteran, who lifted the privacy screen again.
“Why did you bring him along?”
“Why should I tell you that?”
She fluttered her lashes. “Because I asked nicely.”
I pursed my lips but couldn’t deny how helpful she’d been recently.
“Aurora’s in Vegas and he’s stuck on door duty when that happens. I’d prefer him with me than kicking his heels. Anyway, can we get this back on track? I have no idea what you want and I have places to be.”
Because ‘annoying as fuck’ was her personality type, she crossed her feet on the seat beside me and knocked her shitkickers together. “Dead To Me.”
“I told you everything I know.”
“You told me nothing.”
“Because that’s about as much as I know!”
“You’re aggravating. Why did Conor and I help you find Kitty again?”
The casual mention of her name tripped every internal alarm I possessed. “Star,” I warned. “Proceed with caution.”
“Says you. I checked the flight log on your Falcon.”
“I dropped them off at their home a half hour ago.”
“In one piece?”
Did hopefully turning three into four count as ‘in one piece?’
Now was not the time to be dealing with an erection.
“Yes,” I demurred.
“What mechanical issue had you making an emergency stop in Hell’s Rebels’ turf? Could someone have tampered with the plane?”
“Whatever security leak let you uncover that, I want you to fill in. Later.” I ignored the bird she flipped my way. “The pilot mentioned something about throttle stagger. Whatever the fuck that means.”
“Unlikely method of sabotage but possible.” She hummed. “I’d have thought it was an electronic issue. How trustworthy’s your pilot?”
“What are you thinking—Martinez…?”
“I don’t trust anyone apart from Conor, and that’s only because he’s had my back for years.” She dipped her chin. “And I love him.”
“You trust Dead To Me, surely?”
“With my life. Not with my secrets.”
“You only believed me when I told you Martinez confirmed she was dead. So, I’ll tell you what I told Martinez and his wife—you’re discussing this with the wrong brother.”
Ignoring me, she repeated, “Is the pilot trustworthy?”
“Aurora picked him so it’s likely. We lost our last pilot a couple years ago.” During the plane hijacking that had almost taken my life too. “This one’s been with us ever since.”
“I’ll look into him.”
“Pro bono?” I jibed, smirking when she glowered. “Did you speak with Martinez after our call?”
“I did. He gave me a detective’s number. I refuse to believe she’s dead, Stan.”
“She couldn’t have survived the blast, Star. Not if she was on-site.” I grimaced. “We drove through the carnage yesterday. It was a fucking war zone.”
“She was supposed to be shadowing the Frasier girls. If they’re safe, then it tracks that she is.”
“Didn’t trust me with them?”
“No,” was her flat retort. “But I had enough faith to set you up with her, so there’s a compliment somewhere in there.”
“Conor was against me meeting Kitty.”
An annoyingly smug smile was the only answer she was willing to give me.
Unwilling to drop this, I prompted, “Star?”
I didn’t know Conor well, but I recognized a kingmaker when I saw two—the pair of them were definitely that.
In a mock sweet tone that had me gritting my teeth, she murmured, “Yes?” At my stubborn silence, she conceded, “Jen went to bat for you.”
“And Conor listened to her?!”
“Evidently.”
God, I was so taking out that cunt of a mother of hers, then I’d kiss Jen’s feet and—
Before I could make a mental list of the ways I was going to thank my sister-in-law, Star’s expression turned…
Fuck.
I recognized it from the mirror.
“I’m sorry, Star.”
“No.”
“No?”
Her expression turned mulish. “No sorries. She’s not dead.”
“Has she answered your calls?” I asked gently.
“No.”
“Would she have?”
“She’s a pain in my ass who does whatever the fuck suits her. She’s probably trying to get me back for something.”
“Is that how your friendship works?”
Whatever she said, her expression told me the truth.
“I won’t believe it.”
“Don’t.” I raised my hands. “So, the Albanians wanted her because she’s been taking out their leaders?”
Her head bobbed. “I think so.”
“On whose order?”
“If you think I’m telling you that, you’re nuts.”
Exasperated, I demanded, “Why are you here, Star? What information do you think I can provide? When the bomb went off, I was with Martinez on his compound.”
She drummed her fingers on the leather seat. “What’s he hiding?”
Because she had shared Kitty’s identity with me, as well as attempted to keep her safe, and could uncover some truths about our pilot, I relented, “He wants to control who takes the presidency—”
“In the US?” she barked, jack-knifing on her seat.
“No. Mexico.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You sure?”
“Positive. He considers himself Mexican, but we both know he was born here. I don’t think he has designs on the seat, but his wife does for him.”
“That bitch.” Star sniffed. “Though, admittedly, it takes one to know one.”
“She claimed that they were cleaning up the country.”
“Interesting.”
“What I do know is that he brought the Frasiers to his place to spare them from the blast and that he was as pissed off about losing her as you’re sad.
You okay?” I asked her, keeping my tone kind when she stayed quiet.
“You’ve said more to me here than you have in the three years we’ve known one another. ”
“I’ll be fine when that bitch checks in with me.”
Ignoring her sniping, I prodded, “Didn’t Dead To Me mind being a bonafide babysitter to three women in the Yucatan Peninsula?”
“She needed a break.”
“Don’t bullshit me.”
“I knew she was going down there. One little murder and then she normally has a break, so I asked her to keep an eye on them.”
“She didn’t. They were taken from a nightclub. Have to assume she’d have put a stop to that if she’d been watching.”
“Maybe.” Her gaze shifted a fraction to the side.
“What is it?” I insisted. “You might as well tell me before I set Rory on you. If you think Martinez paid our pilot to sabotage our jet, then he’s involved us in this fucking mess.”
“You heard of Raul F. Cabral Flores?”
“Barely. I read about him the other day.”
“He’s right wing. Wants to take Mexico back a couple centuries and he’s gaining popularity. They’re saying he’s a shoo-in at the next election.
“It’s well known that Cabral Flores is in the middle of a batshit divorce. It’s all over the tabloids. Both parties are rich but grew richer while they were married, and gossip is rife—”
“Why would Martinez get involved?” I burst in.
She smirked. “Well, I originally thought it was because Cabral Flores’ wife is Martinez’s eldest sister.”
“Ah, say no more.”
“But now, maybe it’s because they’re aiming to put their own man in power. Be that a plant or Martinez himself.”
“Did Dead To Me kill Cabral Flores before the blast?”
“It hasn’t been released to the press if she has. Just that he died. But the gas explosion bullshit could be listed as the cause of death for that very reason. Especially as Martinez has his very sticky fingers in a lot of pies.”
“Did she tell you why Cabral Flores was in Cancún?”
“No. Just said her target was there, that she was incoming, and I asked if I covered her flight, would she check in on the Frasiers. She agreed.” Star released a breath. “That’s about as much as I know.”
“You still think there’s a chance she’s okay?”
“I’m not sure.” Her eyes dropped to her lap and she plucked at one of the holes in her jeans. “I wonder who he has hacking for him nowadays.”
“Who?”
“Martinez.”
I cleared my throat. “Speaking of hackers… BDSec hasn’t gotten back to us.”
She pinned me with her stare. “About?”
“I asked them if we could hire them—”
She jackknifed again. “THIS HAS HER WHITE-HAT STENCH ALL OVER IT!”
“Do you think you should take a Valium?”
“What? And dull my edge? Goddammit, Minerva.”
Minerva was, I knew, the head of BDSec, a hacking collective that Star had recommended when she’d stopped working for us. Hunter had backed up the suggestion too when he had to cut down on our work to handle the Camorra’s needs on his own.
“I know this is to get back at me for Ovianar—”
“Who’s Ovianar?”
“Minerva’s partner.” She stared at her lap. “I may have helped get her killed.”
“Porca troia, Star! And you recommended her to us?!”
“What?! It wasn’t on purpose. We used to be fucking friends.” She huffed. “Okay, leave the hacking job with me. I’ll get you someone good.”
“Who you didn’t make a deadly enemy out of? Preferably.”
“Custanzu, if they want me dead, that’s how you know they’re good at their job.” She squinted at me. “What are you doing in this part of town anyway?”
“I told you—I dropped off the Frasier sisters at their home.”
“Yes, and your house is in the opposite direction. What’s going on?”
“I’m looking for someone.”
“I’m the best at finding people and I could use an appetizer before getting started on an entrée…”
“You looking to make someone as miserable as you?”
Her smile was sharper than a butcher’s cleaver. “Always, Custanzu. Always.”