“Maybe they covered up his identity?” Star offered.
“Why though? What did they have to hide?”
“That he was a Sparrow?” Cin retorted with a snort before she changed the subject. “How didn’t your grandfather know his kid was a Sparrow?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted.
I thought about the conversation I’d shared with Anton prior to heading onto the private jet. “I think he thinks your mother betrayed him.”
She scowled at that. “And the son didn’t?”
“He might have been a spy,” I pointed out. “If Anton planted him there, then…”
“True.”
“How could your mom have betrayed him? She was with the CIA until she married your dad. Then she quit, right?”
Star shrugged. “I feel like whatever she told me was a lie, so I don’t know what’s true and what isn’t.”
“Do people who work for the CIA share their careers with their families? Don’t they hide it, or have I watched too many Bourne movies?”
Cin snorted. “Star and I weren’t in a position to share our job titles, no. But some are. Depends on what they do. I guess they’d just say they were analysts though. Did she tell you she was in the CIA, Star?”
“Not directly. Dad did.”
“So she told him?”
“Yeah, over tequila.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “When did you talk to him anyway?”
“Your grandfather called to confirm our flight when you were in the bathroom,” I said easily.
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“You were too busy being beautifully angry.”
Laughing, Cin elbowed me in the side. “Do I want to know?”
“Probably not,” I joked, watching as Star’s lips twitched into an aggrieved smile. “I asked him about Jorgmundgander. He claimed that it’s run by NATO and that it’s neutral.”
“Bullshit,” Cin scoffed. “Nothing’s fucking neutral in this world.”
“He meant with the Brothers and the Sparrows.”
“But that goes against what Ovianar just said.”
“It does if Jorgmundgander was being used in a Sparrow power grab,” I concurred. “But I don’t think he was lying to me. He believed what he was saying.”
“What else did he say?”
“Not much.”
“Sounds like his standard MO,” she groused. “He’s purposely keeping us in the dark.”
I couldn’t argue with that. “Maybe it’s for a reason—fresh eyes. This happened nearly seven years ago. You can’t tell me that we’re the only people he’s put on the case.”
“No,” she agreed warily. “Meaning everyone else failed.”
“He’s probably putting you through your paces as well. Wants to see what you’re capable of,” Cin stated. “You know what those fuckers are like. It’s all a game.”