Page 60 of Wired Ghost

But then Momi had climbed up for her wake-up game of peek-a-boo, and Sophie had suddenly seen how it could be: two little heads popping up beside her bed, instead of one. Two pairs of arms to hug, two little bodies to hold, two little people to love.

And one of them she’d have with her all the time, and not have to share with anyone.

But she’d still needed every one of her five minutes of cry time to vent her self-pity over this new mountain to climb, alone, when she wasn’t in shape for it on any level—until Connor had shown up at the door with a handful of spandex, and told her it was time to work out.

“Want to spar later?” Connor’s voice was fuzzy with her headphones on.

Sophie turned the music off to hear his question repeated as he walked over to her, sweat gleaming on his tanned muscles, wearing only a pair of nylon shorts. Sophie eyed him up and down—he’d always been in good shape, but he was at a whole new level since he became the Master’s Number One. Handsome as he was, she felt nothing for him but friendship—and broken trust. He’d demonstrated where his loyalties lay, and she couldn’t forget it.

“I’ll pass on that for now. As you can see, I’ve got a way to go to get back in shape.” Sophie set the water bottle down. Her phone beeped, a loud toning in her headphones. She got so few calls here that she hit the Receive button automatically. “This is Sophie.”

“Sophie? It’s Pierre Raveaux.” The Frenchman’s voice was smooth as a good cognac.

She’d always liked his voice—but she didn’t want to like it.

“Hello, Pierre,” Sophie said coolly. “I’m on leave. What’s so urgent that you had to call me at my private residence?” No, she didn’t want to hear this man’s voice. Or speak to him. Or see him, especially now that she knew about the baby. Maybe she could get away with never seeing him again . . .

“I’m sorry to disturb you, Sophie. But the girl we brought in—Lia Ayabe, remember her? She is suing Security Solutions for wrongful action. Emotional and physical pain and suffering.”

“What?” Sophie stood up too fast and had to grab the weight bench for support. “She’s a minor with no resources. How can she do that?”

“We didn’t know when we got the case that she had declared herself an emancipated minor, and apparently, she’s quite wealthy. Her mother left her money, and Mr. Ayabe neglected to tell us that.” Sophie could almost see Raveaux’s Gallic shrug. “I’m sure this will eventually resolve in our favor, but the Security Solutions lawyers are asking you to come back to Hawaii to give a deposition. A formal statement in question and answer form about your activities on the case.”

“I know what a deposition is.Maggots crawling on a scurvy corpse,” Sophie swore. She began to pace. “Just when I was getting back into the gym.”

“Excuses, excuses,” Connor teased. He lay down on a slant board and began sit-ups.

“I don’t see why I have to come all the way back for the deposition,” Sophie complained to Raveaux. “Can’t we record my statement remotely?”

“Unfortunately, they insist it has to be done in person.” Raveaux was getting tired of her testiness; she could tell by his extra calm, deliberate tone. “Everyone regrets disturbing you in your time of grief.”

“Son of a two-headed dog,” Sophie snapped. “Tell Bix he should be the one to call me for this kind of thing in the future, and tell him to send the corporate jet ASAP.”

“Send the jet where?” The inquiry hung in the air. “Are you even in the United States? Bix is on vacation.”

“Fine. I’ll call for the plane.” Sophie hit the End button.

“Wow, you’re salty.” Connor swiveled around and mopped his streaming face with a thin cotton towel. “Who was that?”

“Raveaux. Summoning me back to the office on Oahu for a deposition.” Sophie got on the elliptical trainer in the corner of the room. “Is it okay to leave Momi and Armita here with you for a few days? I won’t be gone long. But I want you to stay here and make sure they’re safe.”

“Of course.” Connor smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ve got your back.”

Sophie narrowed her eyes at him. “Of course I worry. The Master and my mother know where my daughter and her nanny are, and you’re the one that led them here.”

Connor narrowed his eyes right back at her. “Do you really think they didn’t know about this place all along? Given that, if they wanted to take Momi and Armita, they already would have done so.”

Sophie had no answer for that. She pumped her arms and circled her legs, quickly getting out of breath on the elliptical.

“Your mother wants to bury the hatchet,” Connor said, getting on a bike alongside her.

“I’m not familiar with that phrase.”

“It means make peace. End the warfare. It comes from a Native American custom dating back several centuries.”

“I accepted her apology. Doesn’t mean I plan to let her get any closer to me or mine.”

“Fair enough—but don’t lose sleep over Pim Wat making some kind of move on Momi. You saw the woman; she’s a wreck.”

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