Page 27 of Dark Gambit Reliance

"We ask her if she can kill Igor," Kian said.

Toven frowned. "We already deduced that Jade wouldn't be able to do that without a weapon, and we assumed that she must be searched every time she sees Igor. Did you come up with a way for her to smuggle in a weapon?"

Mia squeezed his hand. "I have an idea. In movies and in books, assassins sometimes use a thin wire to cut their victim's throat. Perhaps Jade can hide it in her hair."

"I'm sure that the guards don't take any chances," Turner said. "They check the hair too."

"She's his breeder," Kian said. "The guards are not with them in the bedroom. Maybe she could strangle him while he sleeps, or maybe she can get her hands on some poison. We won't know until we talk to her."

Mia squeezed Toven's hand again. "If Jade tells us that she can't kill Igor, can we just take her with us?"

"If that's what she wants, sure," Turner said. "Or if she wants to take a few key players with her, she can arrange a hunting party with just those people, and we will take them all. But that’s only if we decide not to invade the compound."

"We can't do that in any case," Kian said. "Humans cannot be included in a Kra-ell hunting party, and we can't leave Sofia's family behind. Even if we only take Jade, Igor will know that it was achieved with Sofia's help, and he will retaliate against her family. We promised her that we would not let that happen. I'm not willing to sacrifice innocent humans to save a few Kra-ell."

"I agree," Toven said. "When are Mia and I flying out to Russia?"

"As soon as possible," Turner said. "I want you in place and ready to deploy. Do you want to fly commercial, or do you want us to fly you with the clan's private jet?"

"We can borrow Kalugal's," Kian said. "He's not going anywhere anytime soon."

"Does he know about the situation we are dealing with?" Toven asked.

Kian chuckled. "I'm sure he does. We didn't keep the Kra-ell situation top secret, and your grandnephew has a way of finding out about things even when we try to keep them classified. I'm still trying to figure out how he does it."

Toven frowned. "You don't sound concerned."

"I'm not. We swore alliance to each other, and it was reinforced by Annani's compulsion. He's not going to sell us out, and he doesn't know enough to use it for his own benefit, either. It's just his way of getting under my skin."

Kian was obviously fond of Kalugal, and it seemed that he enjoyed the games they were playing. Perhaps he needed someone to challenge him, and Kalugal was the only one who could and was up to playing games with his cousin.

"I'm still waiting for an answer," Turner said. "Commercial or private?"

Before Kian had suggested Kalugal's jet, Toven would have said commercial. The clan needed their two jets and their pilots to fly the additional Guardians and equipment to Russia. He didn't want to tie either of them down only so he and Mia could travel in comfort. But flying on his grandnephew's posh jet sounded like a treat for Mia.

"If Kalugal agrees to loan us his plane, we will take it. If not, we will fly commercial."

"He'll loan it to us," Kian said. "Will you be ready to fly out tomorrow? You'll need warm clothing. Karelia is very cold this time of year."

"Aren't the rivers frozen over?" Mia asked.

"Not yet," Turner said. "But they will be in less than a month. That's why it's important to push forward at a fast rate. The Kra-ell will increase patrols during the wintertime. It's not likely that they get unexpected visitors during those months, but since the rivers can be crossed on foot while frozen, they need to guard against the unexpected."

"We can get warm clothing in St. Petersburg." Toven put his hand on Mia's thigh. "Would you like to go shopping in one of the most beautiful cities in Europe?"

She gave him a brilliant smile. "Is that even a question?"

20

SOFIA

After Asher parked Emmett's car in the garage, the four of them got out.

Eleanor held Cecilia to her chest. "Do you want her?" she asked Sofia. "Or do I return her to Anastasia?"

"I want to visit Roxie, so you should take her back." When Eleanor lifted a brow, Sofia added, "You said it was okay."

The retreat would end in four days, and despite everything that was going on, Sofia wanted to spend some time with the friends she'd made and was not going to see again.

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