We didn’t take Brian back to the house. The last thing we needed to do was compromise one of Montana’s safe houses. Instead, we rented a suite at a nearby motel where we were sure no one would ask any questions.

While Star, Swede, Six and I brought Brian to the room, Kujo signed us in. We tied Brian’s feet to the legs of his chair in the bathroom and set him on his back in the bathtub. It was the only room without windows.

I stood at the door, watching the way Star handled herself with him. If there was such a thing as a past life, Nova Shuman was a dictator. At first, Brian was difficult. He swore at her, called her all sort of names. Instead of being upset, Star only smiled and turned the cold water on over his face.

“I’ve been followed, shot at, and almost blown up.” Star knelt beside the tub to watch Brian struggle beneath the downpour. “I am not playing around. Right now, I have zero fucks to give and nothing to lose.”

Just as I was about to intervene, she turned the water off.

“You bitch!” Brian gargled. “You almost killed me.”

“I’ll try harder next time.” She told him. “Who put you up to this?”

Brian spat toward her. Star shifted and turned the water on again.

“Okay!” Brian sputtered.

“Next time, it will be the hot water.”

I knew she was serious.

“Oh my God! You’re crazy! Okay! I’ll tell you what you want to know!”

Star turned off the water. “I’m all ears. Keep in mind the next time I turn the tap on, I may forget to turn it off.”

My pride surged then. Even as she interrogated this man, I was hard enough to crack nuts. But this wasn’t the time. If we all made it through this, I’d show her just how much she turned me on.

Brian gave it all up. Once she got the man to start talking, he wouldn’t shut up. Before long, we had the whole story. Nova was mine—I saw it in the way she handled it all.

What did it say about me that I enjoyed what Star had done so much? What does it say about me for that moment, Star was the sexiest woman on the face of the planet to me?

I was always being told beware a woman who was fed up and Nova Shuman was fed-the-fuck-up.

With her done, she stormed by me out the door and I followed and locked it behind me.

“I was looking into the name Brian gave you guys.” Swede carried a tray stacked with coffee and snacks over. “You did a piece on him when you first started, Star. Marvin Heller, the perverted boss blackmailing his employees into compromising positions.”

“I remember him.” Star bit into a cookie. “Young, stupid, thought the rules didn’t apply to him. But that was almost six years ago. I didn’t even think—shit, Heller’s kid?”

Swede nodded.

“Apparently, after you outed him, Junior fell into a depression.” Swede grabbed a piece of paper from the printer and handed it to her. “It didn’t end well.”

“Wow—he committed suicide six months after the piece was published.” Star’s voice sounded sad.

I accepted the article from her and read. “While I sympathize with a father’s pain, his son had done the wrong thing. It still doesn’t give Osman the right to take a life because his son was a pervert.”

“Agreed.” Kujo said. “Bad behavior is bad behavior. There is zero accountability in that family from the looks of it.”

“Daddy Heller should have taught his kid some decency.” I muttered. “But I have no issues doing it.”

“Well.” Swede sipped from his mug. “Now, we know who is behind this, I did some digging. We’re going to have to put our plan in motion tonight. Osman leaves the country for Switzerland tomorrow evening and if he does…”

Star frowned. “I might as well go live under a rock in Narnia.”

No one said anything but I agreed with a nod. There were no extradition treaties with Switzerland. Even if there was, with Osman’s money, there would be no finding him. Swede was correct, anything they did, they had very little time to do it in.

After checking with Montana at a nearby coffee shop, and dropping Six off, Kujo, Swede, Star and I set the plot in motion. We had Brian set up a meeting with his boss. We then sent Swede and Kujo ahead to the pub. Next, we drove Brian there but before we were able to get out of the car, I slipped one of Swede’s bugs into his pocket without him knowing.

“We should get Heller before he comes inside,” Kujo’s voice was crisp in my ears. “I didn’t think it would be so packed.”

“Shit.” I muttered.

“What?” Star asked.

“We have to change our plan. The pub is packed.” I reported. I reverse from where we’d been parked for Brian to walk inside. Pulling the vehicle around, I found a spot by the entrance with Swede, occupying the slot on the other side of the entrance.

“He’s not here yet.” Kujo reported. “New plan?”

“Reaper and I are parked by the door. We’ll try grabbing him before he enters.” Swede plotted.

“I’ll keep an eye on Brian.” Kujo sent back.

With a new plan in motion, I glanced over at Star to see she was staring out the window, her lips in a thin line and her jaws clenched. I reached over and took one of her hands in mine and lifted it to my lips to brush my mouth against it. She smiled at me and the sadness in her eyes broke my soul.

“This will be over soon—either way,” I told her. “Just hang on for a bit longer.”

“You know what I want at the end of this?” Star asked. “I want a night with you. Just us. No outside noise.”

I wasn’t sure that was a good idea. She would have her hands full dealing with the insurance company and sorting out her life. Where would I fit?

“See? You’re questioning it.” Star pulled her hand away from me. “I know I don’t deserve forever with all the things sitting on my conscience. I just want one night with you where there is no impending doom hanging over our heads.”

“You two are going to have to sort this out later.” Swede’s voice filled my ear. “Here comes Heller and he has back up.”

I frowned and turned my attention to the mirrors. The men with Heller were heavies. They had bulges in their sides which always meant weapons. I frowned. It was going to make it harder to get to him. Irritated, I pulled one of my guns and quickly instructed Star on how to use it. Once that was done I handed it to her. “Swede, you and I will get the heavies. Star will keep Heller’s attention.”

“Roger that—on your go.”

I watched until after Heller was by us and almost to the door, before I gave the go ahead. Swede and I jumped from the front of our vehicles and attacked. We managed to get the two guys who were in the immediate area but Star screamed for us to look out. We spun in time to fend off attacks from three other men. With a quick glance to see that Star had her gun trained on Heller, I sent a fist into an attacker’s gut, kicked him in the side of his knee while grabbing his arm and wrenching it painfully behind his back. The man cried out but I didn’t let go until there was a sharp sound of bone snapping. I released his throat and shoved him hard into the side of the SUV. He bounced off and hit the ground.

Swede had gone through his guy as well and we both turned on the other. Instead of running away, he swung for Swede. The computer tech dipped out of the way and the fist missed. Mine connected to the side of the man’s head followed by a quick knee to his midsection from Swede. Both Swede and I grabbed arm and launched him. When he was unconscious on the ground we rushed over to where Heller was glaring at Star.

“You’re going to call off the hit,” Star said.

“Like hell,” Heller growled. “You’re going to suffer like my boy did.”

“Your boy was an asshole!” Star said. “Since we’re being honest. You knew what he did was wrong. For sure, I’m sorry he died. But he had no concept of treating people like human beings. If he wasn’t a dick, I wouldn’t have had to take him down.”

“It doesn’t matter what you say.” Heller folded his arms. “The hit stays until you’re done.”

“You know I should kill him right now?” Star’s voice trembled as she cocked the weapon. “I mean if I’m dead anyway, I might as well make it for something I did wrong, right.”

“Star?” I growled.

“You do know Montana is a death penalty state, right Heller?” Swede asked. “And trust me, I have ways of making a first degree murder charge on you stick.”

“My hands are clean in this.” Heller turned to stare at Swede.

“Is that what you think?” I spoke up. This guy was out of his mind if he thought he was getting away with this. If he didn’t get charged and sent to prison, I wasn’t going to allow him to walk away. “Your hands are far from clean and we’re going to make sure the cops get all the evidence they need to fry you.”

“You made a huge mistake, Osman,” Star said. “I’m the wrong one. The only reason you’re still standing right now, is I want you to get dragged through the mud. Every news paper, television station—I want you to lose everything while watching it all again over and over during replays. And when it’s all said and done, I want to visit you in prison on the anniversary of your sentencing just to wave at you through the glass.”

Osman lunged at Star then. He snarled, fingers poised for her throat. Pissed, I reached out and grabbed him by the back of the neck and yanked. Star squeezed the trigger and the bullet barely missed Heller to slam into the side of Swede’s truck.

But Heller continued moving with the momentum of my strength. As he sailed by me, I released him and shoved the heel of my hand hard into his chest. His feet rose off the ground as he sailed through the air. I turned on him and was by his side again just as he slammed into the ground.

I hunched down beside him and met his terrified gaze. The hit had him clutching his chest, gasping for breath. But I had no pity. I wanted to snap his neck like a twig for even thinking he could get away with putting his hands on Star. “I need you to make peace with whatever god you pray to. Get your ducks in a row. If Nova so much as catches a cold, I will come for you. And as God’s my witness you won’t even see me coming.”

“Is—that a threat?” Osman sputtered.

“I don’t make threats. It’s a promise.” I replied.

“Reaper…” Swede called.

I ignored him.

“Too many eyes, man,” Swede said from close to my ear.

When I looked up, a crowd had gathered around us. I backed off, allowing Swede to cuff Osman while I called for Kujo to grab Brian. Star hurried over and conspicuously handed me the gun. I dropped it into the holster against my thigh.

“He’s running!” Kujo called through my earpiece.

I frowned.

“What?” Star asked.

“Brian is running.” I said turning for the door.

Star stopped me with a hand against my arm then ran to the door. The moment it burst open, I watched as Star braced herself against the wall with one hand, planted her feet and shoved her free hand out, fingers in a fist. She caught Brian in the throat—hard.

“Oh! Clotheslined!” Swede and I chorused.

Brian did a weird, half flip—his feet went up almost to his face as he slammed, back first, into the concrete. Star kicked him in the ribs repeatedly. Her anger was evident to anyone looking on as she said a word with each kick.

“That’s—for—blowing—up—my—house!” She was saying by the time I ran over. “That’s—for—shooting—at—Reaper—”

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her into my chest. But Star had tears streaming down her cheeks as she kicked and screamed, trying to get loose and reach him again. Kujo slid out the door and immediately cuffed Brian.

“She okay?” Kujo asked.

“She will be.” I turned her and cuddled her into my chest. “I’ll make sure of it.”