Her mother had taught her many things, most of them terrible.But one lesson served her now: when someone brings a fight to your door, you don’t just defend.
You make them regret it.
* * *
Sophie entered the house,walking down the simply furnished terra-cotta tiled hall to the family room.Armita had moved the children there after the security alarm was called off.Once she reached the comfortable room with its short-napped carpet and sturdy furniture, she paused in the doorway, her heart filling with tender emotion as she gazed at her children.
Sean and Momi were building block towers with their nanny.Armita, a petite Thai woman dressed all in black with her hair in a no-nonsense braid, looked up to meet Sophie’s eyes with a reassuring smile.
Not for the first time, Sophie thanked the deities that Armita had come into her life.Her mother’s former handmaiden could not have been more devoted and capable, and her care of Sean and Momi made Sophie’s working life possible.
In addition, she was an actual ninja who had trained with the Yam Khûmk?n.
Momi looked up from her blocks, her face lighting with a smile that reminded Sophie of her daughter’s father, Alika, a handsome Hawaiian man Sophie had fallen in love with after escaping her sadistic husband.Alika’s features had influenced Momi’s tawny skin, large brown eyes, and the cascade of ringlets trailing down her back.“Mama!Look, I made a castle.”
“It’s beautiful, Little Bean,” Sophie said, kneeling to admire the elaborate construction.
Sean toddled over, arms outstretched.She scooped his sturdy body close, breathing in his baby shampoo scent and then blowing a raspberry on his neck.The little boy’s giggle shook his whole body.
“Mama pretty,” he said, patting her cheek with a chubby hand.
Sean had a pale version of Sophie’s golden skin and curly brown hair, resembling her more than his father—but his personality and demeanor were all Jake’s.
“Thank you, sweetheart,” Sophie said.“Now show me what you were making.Maybe I can help.”
Sean didn’t reply but wriggled out of her arms to lead her to a pile of blocks that had so far assumed no recognizable shape.She began to stack, with Sean adding new pieces between her choices.
“Now that you’re here, I’ll go get dinner started,” Armita said.“We can catch up about the day’s events after the children are in bed.”
“Thank you, Armita.Good plan,” Sophie said.“Momi, why don’t you tell me about your castle.”
“It’s actually a museum inside a castle,” Momi said.“A lot of treasures are inside.”She pointed to tiny items from her dollhouse she had stashed in the block rooms.
“Nice job,” Sophie said.“I like that idea.”
But even here, in a fortress of a house, Sophie couldn’t shake the feeling that their safety was an illusion.
An enemy was out there stealing pieces of Hawaiian history and leaving flowers like breadcrumbs, forcing Sophie toward some kind of revelation or confrontation that had begun to feel inevitable.Whatever it was couldn’t be good.
She forced her attention back to the simple joy of the moment at hand, as Sean sat his padded bottom firmly in her lap and inserted a thumb in his mouth, watching her stack the blocks.She leaned her scarred cheek on his sweet curls.
For now, this was enough.
Her children were safe, her team was solid, and she had allies like Pierre and Marcus to help solve this mystery.Whatever game someone was playing or message they were trying to send, she and her team would figure it out.
Hopefully they could do that before the next plumeria appeared.
6
SOPHIE
Sophie and Armitamet in the kitchen after the children were in bed.Finished loading the dishwasher and wiping the counters, Sophie made them a pot of fragrant Thai tea and settled at the small breakfast nook.
She watched Armita prepare a simple meal for when the children woke, mixing the ingredients for a tasty, protein rich hot cereal with practiced grace.“How did the evacuation down to the safe room go yesterday?”Sophie asked.They spoke in Thai—a comfort for both of them, a piece of distant heritage in this island paradise.“Let’s keep this short, though.I want you to get some rest.”
“And I want you to do the same.”Armita sliced a papaya with quick, efficient gestures.“It was a busy day.”Her dark eyes met Sophie’s with steady calm.“The children did very well.We reached the safe room in under five minutes with no problems.”
“Even Sean?He didn’t do great last time we drilled.”Sophie’s youngest had struggled with the practice evacuations, not understanding why they sometimes had to interrupt play to go down to the restrictive underground bunker.
