Page 54 of Dark Gambit Reliance

"How can I help you, Sofia?" Kian asked.

She swallowed. "I want to convince you to abort the mission. Freedom is great, but not if it's achieved by death, and that's what will happen if you attack the compound. Igor will see a superior force, and instead of running like you predicted, he will destroy everyone so they don't get captured. It's not worth the risk."

"I agree. If we can't find a way to ensure the detonation doesn't happen, we will not proceed with stage three of the plan. Tom is going to meet with Jade, and we will take it from there. She's been Igor's prime for a reason, and it was probably to learn as much as she could about his weaknesses and plan a rebellion. She can't do anything while under his compulsion, but once she's free and she has us for backup, she might have a plan of her own that she can launch to eliminate Igor while making sure that he doesn't trigger the explosives."

"He's not the only one that can do that. If Jade kills Igor, my grandfather will take over."

"Is he a strong compeller?"

"I don't know. I don't even know if Jade is. None of the other purebloods compelled anyone. It was all Igor."

"We know that Jade is strong, and she's ruthless. By the way, how do you feel about her taking over control of the compound?"

"I don't know her all that well. She's just as stuck-up as the other purebloods, and she doesn't interact with humans."

"Who do you think would be best for the job?"

Kian asked her? Sofia had fantasized about it so often, and she had plenty of ideas for how the compound should be run so everyone's needs were met, but she'd never thought that it could happen.

"They should have an election and choose three representatives. One pureblood, one hybrid, and one human. Or maybe two of each. The three should have an equal say on all major decisions, and if they don't do their job well, they need to be replaced with other elected representatives. But it would never work. The purebloods are too powerful, so they are at the top of the food chain, then the hybrids, and lastly, the humans. Unless someone from the outside enforces the democratic elections of representatives from all three groups, it's not going to happen."

Kian chuckled. "Are you suggesting that my clan should be that outside influence?"

"I was speaking hypothetically."

He let out a breath. "Let's take it one step at a time. Friday, Tom will meet Jade, and hopefully, she will have a plan."

Marcel cleared his throat. "Sofia knows that Tom's name is Toven. I hope it's okay that I told her."

"Toven prefers that his name is not known to outsiders. Sofia is with you, so she's no longer an outsider, but for the time being, Eleanor or Emmett should compel her to keep it a secret as well."

"Do you want me to call Valstar again?" Sofia asked.

"You called him yesterday, and he doesn't expect you to call him every day. Wait until tomorrow."

She chewed on her lower lip. "I thought to plead with him to let my father come here because I'm so sick, and I need open heart surgery."

"Do you think he'll do that?"

Sofia sighed. "Not really."

"Then why put yourself through the heartache?"

"Because if something happens to my father, I need to know that I did everything possible to save him."

"I promise you that nothing will happen to him."

He couldn't promise her that. Her father was human, and they had a family history of heart disease. He could have a stroke tomorrow.

"Thank you, but you can't guarantee that."

"True. But I can promise that I will do everything in my power to guarantee his safety. Do you believe me?"

"I do."

"I'm glad. Good day, Sofia." He ended the call.

"He meant it," Marcel said. "Kian never says things he doesn't mean just to make someone feel good. It's not his style."

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