Page 9 of Wired Fear

“This?”

“This. He already knows about my mother. I want him to know everything about what’s going on. You. The Yam Khûmk?n.”

“No.”

“No? You don’t get to dictate everything about this situation!” Sophie stood. “These things affect me. They’re my life. I don’t want to keep secrets from Jake that I don’t have to!”

“Trouble in paradise?” Connor quirked a brow. “Jake wants to be more than your booty call?”

“Oh.” Sophie sucked a breath. “I’m done here.” She swept up her nylon pack and headed for the door of the jet, pushed it open.

Connor touched her arm. “Sophie. I’m sorry. That was rude.”

“Yes, it was.” She glared at him. “You’re jealous.”

He stiffened. “I’m doing my best.”

They stared at each other for a long moment.

Sophie finally sighed. “I won’t tell him about you and the Ghost. But please. All this sneaking around with the Yam Khûmk?n and the CIA would be so much easier if I didn’t have to hide everything. He’s suspicious. And he’s jealous, too.” Sophie took a step down out of the plane. Warm wind, smelling of diesel fumes, swirled around her. She glanced out at the bulk of Kilauea. The wind direction had changed, a rare occurrence, and brought volcanic emissions, commonly known as vog, with it. The soft gray of the particulate ash shrouded Hilo like a photographer’s filter.

“Damn it.” Connor tugged at his hair in agitation. “Tell him if you must. But keep me out of it. We’ll talk soon.”

Chapter Seven

Sophie shook out her napkin and laid it over her lap in the candlelit dining room of the Hilo Bay Seafood Cafe. She wished that she’d had time to go home and change into something other than the Security Solutions uniform. Jake had; his dark hair was still damp with comb tracks, and he smelled of the lemony aftershave she’d come to love. A silk button-down in midnight blue enhanced his muscular form and brought out the ring of blue in his remarkable gray eyes.

Those eyes seemed to glow in the candlelight as he handed her a glass of wine. “I took the liberty of ordering you something since you were a little late.”

Sophie nodded, sipping the beverage. “This is good. What is it?”

“A nice little moscato. I notice you like things sweet.”

“And I like how you notice what I like.”

They smiled at each other.

Jake brought his glass of red to chime with Sophie’s in a gentle toast. “To our first official date out in public as a couple.”

Heat suffused Sophie’s chest as she remembered Connor’s barb about Jake being her “booty call.” She thrust the memory away and sipped, mind scrabbling over how to proceed with the conversation.

Mercifully, the waiter arrived to regale them with dinner specials. They ordered, and after he left, Sophie took a hefty sip of wine for courage. “Jake. I have something to tell you.”

“Where you were this afternoon?” Jake quirked a dark brow. His attempt at a humorous tone fell flat; Sophie could hear the grit behind it.

“I was meeting Sheldon Hamilton. We are working on a project.”

“Ah. Our mysterious CEO. That makes sense.”

Sophie wasn’t imagining the way Jake’s shoulders loosened in relief. He didn’t know about the Ghost, didn’t have any reason to be jealous of Hamilton—and that was a good thing.

“Hamilton has been helping me navigate things with my mother. You see, Pim Wat didn’t just reappear in my life to resume a relationship. She had a proposal: that I join her clandestine organization, the Yam Khûmk?n, and provide them with tech support.”

Jake’s eyes widened. “No wonder you’ve been sleeping badly!” He reached over to cover her cold hands with his warm ones. “Ah, God, Sophie. That woman.Such a bitch! You deserve a mom who loves and appreciates you.”

He had no idea how really horrible Pim Wat was. Sophie blinked quick tears away, looking down at their joined hands. Jake’s instant, unstinting compassion undid her—and she was only telling him a piece of the truth. The worm of guilt turned in her guts. She couldn’t swallow past the lump in her throat.

“Come here.” Jake tugged at her hands. “Come sit with me.”

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