His linen shirt was wrinkled, and he probably should have shaved—but Sophie’s summons to dinner with the family (and to hear about Dr.Yoshimura’s list of target antiquities) hadn’t left him much time for grooming, once he’d torn himself away from his Yam Khûmk?n research deep dive.
He grabbed a bottle of wine from the passenger seat—a modest Côtes du Rhône, along with a bottle of Perrier for his own consumption.
“Pierre, perfect timing!”Sophie’s voice brought him around.“Momi’s been asking every five minutes when ‘Uncle Perro’ would arrive.”She stood in the tiled entry, wearing running shorts and a Security Solutions tank top that highlighted the lean muscles of someone who treated fitness as a job requirement rather than hobby.Her short curls were pinned back, exposing her exquisite profile.The porch light caught the sheen of perspiration on her collarbones—she’d just finished a workout.
“Uncle Perro?”Pierre asked as he approached.The evening light brought out warm tones in her tawny skin.“Momi’s still calling me that?”
“Better than some nicknames, believe it or not.Last week she called our insurance adjuster ‘the boring paper man’ to his face.”Sophie accepted the wine with a quick smile.“Merci.Come in—and fair warning.Sean got up from his nap late and is—extra.”
“Extra what?”Pierre cocked a brow.
Sophie shook her head.“It’s been a day with him.You’ll see.”
Once inside, the house smelled like Thai basil, lemongrass, and bubbling rice.Overhead fans fought a losing battle against heat from the kitchen, where something sizzled in a wok.Through the doorway, Pierre spotted Armita attempting to contain a shirtless Sean who was careening around, covered in what might have been peanut sauce.His gleeful shrieks echoed off the tile floors.Momi sat at the table, humming tunelessly as she arranged plastic dinosaurs on her plate in what looked like a complex battle formation.
“Uncle Perro!”Momi abandoned her prehistoric army to hurl herself at him, small arms wrapping around his legs with surprising strength.“Where have you been?”
“I’ve missed you as well, Little Bean.”Pierre’s heart swelled painfully as he picked the little girl up, her weight familiar and precious.He gave her a kiss on each cheek in the European style, smelling the faint residue of fruit juice on her skin.He’d spent considerable time with the family prior to Connor’s return to Sophie’s side; after that, he’d been a fifth wheel and had taken work overseas whenever he could.
Momi, at least, was glad to see him again.
“You haven’t come to see us in forever,” Momi’s large brown eyes were serious.“I thought you left.Like Uncle Connor.”
Pierre glanced quickly at Sophie, catching her slight wince.“I would not do that,ma chérie,” he said, making eye contact with the child.“But I do have to take trips now and again.I was in France, working.”He put Momi down gently and took the chair beside hers, the woven seat creaking.“And now, I am glad to be back.”
Dinner unfolded in controlled chaos.Sean was wrestled into his highchair, where he proceeded to conduct a percussion symphony with his spoon.Armita and Sophie brought an array of Thai dishes to the table.The complimentary aromas of coconut, soy sauce, and lemongrass made Pierre’s stomach growl.
“I’m looking forward to discussing our findings after dinner,” Sophie said, sipping the wine he’d brought.“Dr.Yoshimura’s come up with the list of possible targets she promised.She’s particularly worried about the security of the museum’s pieces.”
“As she should be.”Pierre caught an escaping wad of noodles from Sean’s plate before it could join the growing collection on the floor.He wiped his hands on a napkin.“The feather capes alone are priceless.Literally—they can’t be valued in conventional terms.”
“Because they’re made from extinct bird feathers?”Momi piped up, handling her chopsticks dexterously for a five-year-old.
Pierre blinked.“How did you?—”
“I like birds and I know how to find out things about them with Mama’s phone,” Momi said with the nonchalance of a child raised in the digital age.She speared a chunk of chicken with precision.“The?o?obirds are all gone.That’s sad.”
After dinner—which ended with Sean requiring a head-to-toe washing down and Momi negotiating for dessert like a tiny lawyer, Armita herded the children toward bath time.The sounds of protest and splashing water drifted down the hallway.
“Goodnight, Uncle Perro!”Momi called.“Next time tell me what you and Mama are talking about!”
Sophie rolled her eyes, but her face held love and pride, too.
“She’s too smart,” Pierre said.“Is that girl only five?”
“I know.It’s hard to stay one step ahead of her.Always has been,” Sophie said.Her demeanor shifted like a switch being flipped; the indulgent mother vanished, replaced by the professional.“Let’s go to my office.We need to review Yoshimura’s list.”
Her workspace was a study in contrasts, with technology and family life finding an uneasy coexistence.Multiple monitors cast blue light across her desk, showing feeds from around the property in crisp detail.Children’s drawings—stick figures under rainbow skies—shared wall space with logistics flowcharts and a topographical map of Oahu marked with red pins.A BowFlex workout set, pull-up bar, and Peloton occupied one wall area.A gun safe with a biometric lock was positioned for easy access.
“Tea?”Sophie offered, heading to a sleek setup on a small wet bar.“Let’s do something herbal since it’s evening.”
“Please.”Pierre settled onto a section of the low gray leather built-in couch in one corner, the material cool against his skin.Through the window, security illumination created pools across the lawn.“You mentioned the curator’s list of possible targets—and I’d like to share what I’ve learned about the Yam Khûmk?n’s historical background.It’s given me some ideas about why the faction might be interested in Hawaiian antiquities.”
“Good.That’s been a knowledge gap.”Sophie filled a clear glass kettle from the tiny sink and placed it on its electrical base.She returned to sit kitty-corner to him on the sectional.Opening a file on the coffee table, she spread out photos like tarot cards.“I’ll share my part first.Here’s what Dr.Yoshimura has put extra security on.”She tapped a finger on images that seemed to glow with their own power.“These pieces were chiefs’ possessions.Feather capes, carved serving bowls, weapons.They’re not just artifacts.To the Hawaiians, they embody spiritual power—mana—made physical.”
The clear teakettle began to bubble, condensation fogging the glass.Its electronic chime seemed too modern for the spell cast by the relics’ images.
Pierre studied the photos as she rose to tend to the tea: a feather cape that seemed to shimmer even in the photograph, alei niho palaoawhose carved whale tooth hook was barbarically beautiful.
