by Toby Neal
“I anticipated you would want that. I have a timestamp video from this morning’s surveillance feed at the compound.” The Master drew a phone out of his pocket, and swiped to a video.
Sophie bent close to see, her heart rate speeding up as she searched the rows of practicing recruits for any sign of Connor. At last she spotted him where he stood at the back, taller than the rest, his white scalp gleaming. “What have you done to him, that he has shaved his head and is practicing with your recruits?” she cried.
The doctor had stopped as well, and he made an impatient gesture. “The operating room is reserved for us. We are doing a direct transfer from you to the prince, rather than freezing some of the bone marrow as is sometimes done. He is not doing well, and every moment could make a difference. Can you wait to discuss this until after the procedure?”
The Master slid the phone into his pocket. He held Sophie’s gaze. “We will talk later. All will be revealed.”
Sophie huffed out a breath. There was no real choice. She had made her decision as soon as she heard about the prince, let alone before she saw his pathetic little face. “I expect you to honor your word,” she told the Master.
“All will be revealed,” the man repeated. Sophie rolled her eyes, and turned to follow the doctor.
Chapter Forty-One
Day Thirty-Five
Sophie stretched forward to toggle a switch on the dashboard of Connor’s speedboat, and emitted a little moan as bruising from the site of the bone marrow harvest reminded her of the procedure. She checked her onboard GPS and programmed in Phi Ni as her destination. She was grateful the boat had started up easily, once she added fuel to the tank. She then paid off the fisherman who’d driven her out to the boat’s hidden berth on the atoll.
She set the autopilot and sat back, sipping tea from a thermos and enjoying the wide-open sea, the clouds scudding overhead, the leap of porpoises at the bow.
She’d had time to read the Chris-Craft’s operations manual more thoroughly while spending a day post-op, recovering in a hotel paid for by the royal family. She’d been under general anesthesia during the extraction, so she hadn’t felt a thing when several holes were made in the back of her hip bone, and a couple of pints of red blood cells, stem cells, and bone marrow liquid removed—leaving her weak the first day, but steadily recovering.
Sophie was still tired, but she didn’t want to be away from her baby even a day longer. She expressed the milk she’d produced that wasn’t usable due to the anesthesia medication pumped into her for the extraction.
But all of it was worth it when she heard the procedure had gone well for the prince.
Malee, Armita and Momi had already flown out to Phi Ni on a private charter, after verifying with Nam that no one had come onto the island or made contact. Sophie felt safe using the island as a brief pitstop before returning to Hawaii. So far, there had been no indication that the Yām Khûmkạn knew about Connor’s secret holding.
And as long as the Master didn’t know what had happened to her mother, he would have no reason to harm her or those close to her by striking at them on Phi Ni.
Sophie tried not to think of Jake, but that was impossible. After a while, she just stopped trying and let the tears rain down and dry on her cheeks in the wind whipping off the ocean.
Sophie piloted the speedboat into the boathouse, in the light of a waning sunset, and tied it up at the wharf. She heard the rumble of a vehicle arriving to pick her up, and felt a lift in her heavy spirits—she would be seeing her baby soon.
Alika was driving the work truck that had come down to meet her at the boathouse. Sophie grinned at the sight of his huge smile. She hurried over to hug him with the last of her energy. “I am so glad to see you! How is our baby?”
“She’s awesome! Doing great with a new formula, and both her grandma and great-grandma, as well as her aunt and your nanny, fussing over her,” Alika said. “Thank you so much for getting her back. You’re my hero.” He kissed her, a warm buss of friendship, shared history and family, and Sophie let it be what it was.
They got into the truck and drove down the winding, coral stone road through the jungle. Alika gestured to the defunct coconut grove. “This is quite a place Hamilton has.”
“Yes, it is. He usually runs the company from here.” An idea was taking root in Sophie’s mind: she could help Connor run things from Phi Ni, and stay in her apartment or at her father’s on Oahu part-time, and on Kaua`i the rest. The Big Island was off her personal map of destinations for the time being. “What have you been thinking? About how to share time with Momi?”
Alika laughed. “I thought you’d want to rest, relax, get some food, and snuggle with our girl. Trust you to dive right into this tricky topic with both feet.” He blew out a breath. “I have a guest house on my property—right now it’s rented, but I can kick the guy out. He’s one of my workers, just crashing there for a job. I propose that you live with me on Kaua`i for Momi’s first year—you can stay out there and have privacy, and I can see Momi as much as I want to during this key time in her life.” He squeezed the steering wheel, the knuckles of his remaining hand whitening and darkening with changing pressure. “I know it’s an imposition and that you have a job—but the place is wired for high-speed internet. We’d also have built-in babysitting with all the relatives who can’t wait to get their hands on Momi, so you could come and go as you need to for work. You can have the cottage at no cost, and access to everything in my house. Mi casa es su casa, as they say. And I have a great home gym.” He flashed a grin, his dimples as engaging as ever. “Tell me you’ll think about it.”
“I like that idea.” Sophie turned to look fully at Alika. “I can’t promise a whole year, though. I will need to go to Oahu, and possibly return to Phi Ni, too. But as a start, for the next few months, your cottage sounds perfect.”
Alika grinned in relief. “You’ve made my day.”
She chuckled. “I won’t be coming alone, though. Armita will be living with me, and providing the bulk of child care as I need it if you’re not available. After Momi’s weaned, and we work out how much you have her, Armita could still be available. Consistency is important with young children, and I trust her totally.”
“Listen to you—‘consistency is important with young children.’ You’ve been studying up, I can tell. We have plenty of time to work out the details.” Alika propped his prosthetic hand on the steering wheel to steady it, then patted her leg. “I’m psyched. I’ll call home and kick my worker out tomorrow.”
Sophie laughed. “Both hands on the steering wheel, please. Only one of those is actually doing anything.”
“You mocking Captain Hook here?” Alika held up the plastic prosthetic and waggled it.
“Maybe you should get an actual hook. The men at the gym would love it.”
“I’m holding out for a fancy electronic prosthetic, actually.” He glanced at Sophie and their eyes met. “If you and Jake get back together, there’s room in the cottage for all of you to have your own space.”
Sophie looked out the window, blinking. “That won’t be happening.”
He patted her leg again. “I’m sorry, Sophie.”
“Yes. I’m sorry as well.” Sophie bit her lip. Her life was plenty full—but it still felt empty without Jake.
Chapter Forty-Two
Day Thirty-Six
Morning cast sharp shadows over the practice field as Connor engaged with Nine in hand-to-hand using staffs. He’d always worked out a lot as a part of his daily routine, but with all of the hours of daily combat practice using every kind of weapon, he could see and feel his body reshaping into something harder, faster, and deadlier.
Nine froze suddenly, lowering his weapon and dropping into the Yām Khûmkạn resting attentive pose, protocol when someone of a higher rank had entered the area. Connor almost struck him, pulling back at the last minute. He spun away and dropped into the same upright position beside Nine, arms at his sides, head up.
&n
bsp; Their division leader addressed Connor. “Your presence is required. Come with me.”
Connor dropped his staff and followed the man, pulling the loose hood of his robe up to cover his shaved head, as was protocol when off the field. They made their way through the complex and up the stone stairs to the Master’s apartments. The leader left Connor at the Master’s closed door.
“Enter,” the Master’s voice said in Thai. Connor had not yet knocked.
Connor stepped inside the sumptuous room. “You sent for me, Master?” A line out of a B grade movie, but he was living it.
The Master entered the seating area from the bedroom. He held up a satellite phone. “It is time for you to call Sophie. She has fulfilled her part of the bargain and successfully completed the bone marrow transfer.”
“Is she all right?” Connor wiped an arm over his sweaty forehead. His former life had begun to feel like a dream. It wasn’t that he didn’t think of his dog, his island, his company, his violin—and Sophie. He did—but his days were too full for dwelling on his past. Night, and his dreams, were when those former things haunted him.
“Sophie is perfectly fine. The procedure is painless for the donor. There are residual aches and weakness after, but the body soon rebuilds the lost fluids. The transfer was seamless, and the prince is doing well also.” The Master tapped a computer tablet he held. “I have been monitoring Sophie. As soon as she left the hospital, she took a day of rest at a hotel, and then traveled to the coast.”
Connor kept his face expressionless. He had not given up the location of his island, and the Master had not asked. That didn’t mean the Master didn’t know about it.
Every night, after dinner, they played chess and engaged in long discussions about politics, economics, science, and justice. Connor learned something new every day, and he couldn’t regret the bargain he’d made—a return to tutelage, in exchange for Sophie’s happiness with Jake. “May I have privacy for this call?”
The Master’s inscrutable purple irises bored into him. “Yes. As long as you acknowledge that, by leaving you alone, I am trusting you.”
There were many ways to conceal surveillance, and Connor knew them all. The Master could even have the phone set to record the conversation. But he nodded his head, compliant. “Thank you for your trust, Master.”
The Master walked out of the room, and shut the door.
Connor took a moment to gather his emotional resistance to Sophie, to ground himself in resolve. He looked around the Master’s luxurious chamber, with its wall hangings, carpeting, and ornate carved furniture. He approved of the aesthetic; the beautiful trappings balanced the harsh, ancient stone the rooms were built of. He took a seat in his favorite spot in front of the chessboard near the fireplace.
Sophie’s number was saved under the Master’s “Favorites,” which made him smile.
The phone had a data feature, and Connor took a moment to download the encrypted software he could use to communicate confidentially with Sophie via video feed. Once he had that set up, he scrolled to her number, and hit Contact.
Sophie’s face appeared on the tiny screen almost immediately. Connor wanted to smile, but the sight of her, holding Momi’s dark curly head tucked beneath her chin, completely choked him up. He cleared his throat, unable to speak. Damn, but they were beautiful.
“Connor! It is so good to see you!” Sophie was grinning big enough for both of them. “I just reached out to the Master and insisted that he begin the process of getting you out of there. I didn’t expect to hear from you quite so soon!”
“Show me that baby.”
Connor felt his heart squeeze as Sophie moved the phone so that it captured Momi’s sleeping face. The infant’s rosebud mouth was ajar, her cheeks peachy pink, and a welter of soft black curls haloed her head. Sophie stroked her daughter’s hair. “I wish you were here so you could hold her, but you’ll be here soon. What’s the plan to get you out of there? I have the CIA on standby, ready to provide transport.”
“I won’t ask what deal you made to get them on board,” Connor said.
Sophie grimaced. “I’ve basically promised to become a confidential informant/and or double agent for them. They picked up Jake on the road outside of the compound not long after he was released. I’ve been working with them ever since.”
“How is Jake? Is he recovered?” Connor’s pulse pounded uncomfortably. Jake had recognized him. Clearly, the man’s world was rocked—and he’d jumped to all the right conclusions. It was likely he and Sophie had a lot to talk about. “I hope he had no lasting ill effects.”
“Jake’s fine. Already back on the Big Island, working.”
Did he imagine a tightness around Sophie’s lips? Evasiveness in her lowered gaze? She went on. “Let’s stay focused. I just want to know where and when to send the CIA to pick you up on the road, or if the Master would like to make some other arrangement.”
“I’m not leaving, Sophie.” Connor stared into the camera, willing her to look up. At last, she did. Even in the grainy feed, he could see the ashen tone of her skin, a sure sign of distress.
“What do you mean you’re not leaving? The Master has to let you go. We had a bargain.” The baby squeaked as Sophie squeezed her too tightly.
“I am choosing to stay.” Connor threw back the hood that concealed his head, and turned it so that she could see the Thai number tattooed on the back of his shaved scalp. He didn’t yet know what that number was—he wouldn’t, until he had earned it. “I have agreed to study under the Master.”
“No! We have a company for you to run. You can’t stay there!” She joggled the baby, who, sensing her mother’s upset, let out a cry like an angry kitten.
“I can, and I am. I am choosing to learn from the Master. He’s much more knowledgeable and sophisticated than first meets the eye.” How could he describe the feats he’d seen the Master do? They sounded like fiction. “I want to stay.”
“What are you doing? Becoming a member of the Yām Khûmkạn?” Momi’s mewing cries rose in volume. Sophie patted the baby’s back vigorously and moved back and forth, in and out of the window of the camera.
“I’m not a member—but I have to go through their program to reach the outcomes I want. I have voluntarily submitted myself to him. It’s hard to explain, but he has things to teach me. Powerful things.”
“I’m not surprised by anything about that man. I’ve met him.” Sophie shook her head. “He’s done something to you. Brainwashed you. Maybe you made some kind of a deal with him?”
Connor raised his hands so that they were visible on the screen. “I swear. I am choosing this.” And he had. He had chosen to stay and study with the Master, to exchange information with him about their mutual missions. He had done that so that Jake, Sophie and Momi could be a family unit—and so he didn’t have to watch that happen from the outside.
He had his own destiny to forge. And maybe, someday, looking at Sophie and her baby wouldn’t hurt so much.
Connor gasped in surprise as Sophie abruptly pulled down the scoop neck of her shirt and guided the squalling baby to her breast. Momi calmed instantly. Sophie closed her eyes, clearly relaxing into something mysterious and beautiful, a connection he’d never have or experience.
A long moment went by before Connor could tear his eyes away. “I have to go. I have meditation practice.”
“This is ridiculous. You can’t do this!” Sophie cried, her serenity disappearing. “The company needs you!”
“No, the company needs you.” He kept his eyes averted—watching her nurse the baby was wreaking havoc on his body. “If you wake up my computer, and log in with the password I’m going to send you, you’ll find a signed and notarized document dated a year ago, designating you as my heir, and/or my power of attorney in any absence. I have thought long and hard about who I would leave my world to, and you were the only one. There was only ever you, Sophie.”
Better not to engage with her in a fruitless argument and upset the baby a
gain.
Better to say goodbye now.
Better just to end the call.
Feeling like he was cutting off his own arm, Connor punched the button and bowed forward, curling over in a white-hot ball of pain around the phone in his fist. Would he ever see her again? Would it ever stop hurting if he did?
“You have made the right decision,” The Master said from the doorway. “Come. It’s time for meditation class. I have a new lesson for you and the students.”
Connor got up and handed the Master the phone. “Thank you for letting me speak privately.”
The Master turned off the phone, already buzzing like an angry insect with Sophie’s attempted callback. “You can leave whenever you feel satisfied with achieving the life you are longing for.”
“And that is what you understand, that she does not,” Connor said. “It’s too hard to watch her with someone else. I need my own life.”
The Master inclined his head. “And you shall have it.” He turned on his heel.
Connor followed him—and with every step he took, he felt lighter.
Chapter Forty-Three
Day Thirty-Six
Sophie carried a fed and sleeping Momi back to the bassinet that Nam’s wife had procured for her. She lay the baby down, and notified Armita on the baby monitor that she was going to the computer lab for a few hours. “Let me know if she needs anything that you can’t figure out.”
Armita snorted, and then appeared in the doorway carrying a basket of peas as well as the monitor. She sat on the rocking chair beside the bassinet. “I will watch over her from here.”
“You don’t have to. The house is full of people ready to respond to her littlest cry.” Sophie was glad Alika’s tutu and mother had at last been persuaded to go for a walk to pick up shells on the island’s deserted beaches.
