Page 29 of Dark Gambit Reliance

"Who is it?" Roxie asked.

"It's me, Sofia, and I have Marcel with me, so don't open the door if you're indecent."

The door was flung open, and Roxie flew at Sofia, with her pink robe flapping behind her and exposing her thighs.

"Sofia." She pulled her into a crushing hug. "Where have you been?"

"I can't tell you." She hugged her friend back. "It's a secret."

Roxie let go of her, took a step back, and gave her a once-over. "You look tired and bedraggled." She tilted her head to glare at Marcel. "What did you do to her?"

"I took her rock climbing."

"Oh, well, that explains it." She looked at Sofia, waiting for her to either confirm or deny it.

"We visited Marcel's friend in a house overlooking the ocean, and we hiked part of the way." Sofia swiped her hands over her dirty pants. "Perhaps I shouldn't come in."

The room had only one chair, and she didn't want to dirty one of the beds.

"Nonsense." Roxie took her hand and dragged her in behind her. "You can sit on the chair, and Marcel can sit on the desk. Or even better, Marcel can sit on the chair, and you can sit on Marcel."

21

KIAN

As the doorbell rang, Okidu rushed to open the door. "Hello, Master Kalugal."

"Hello to you, too." Kalugal swaggered into the living room. "Good evening, cousin. Where are your lovely wife and daughter?"

"Syssi is putting Allegra to sleep."

Allegra had outgrown the small crib in their bedroom, and Syssi had decided it was time to get her used to sleeping in her own room. She tucked her in every night and read her a story. Their daughter was too young to understand it, but her mother's voice soothed her and helped her fall asleep.

"That's a shame. I wanted to kiss those chubby cheeks of hers."

"How is Darius doing?"

Kalugal sighed. "He's fussy, and we don't get much sleep, but he's the joy of our lives. I love him so much that I'm in a constant state of anxiety that something might happen to him before he reaches puberty and can transition. You're lucky to have a daughter who will transition much sooner."

"I'm lucky indeed." Kian clapped him on the back. "But so are you. You have a healthy baby boy, and Fates willing, he will grow up to be as smart as his father and as wise as his mother."

That brought a smile to Kalugal's lips. "You couldn't have said it better."

"Let's go outside."

"Yes, please. I’ve missed our chats over whiskey and cigars."

Surprisingly, Kian had too.

"It has been too long." He opened the sliding door and motioned for Kalugal to go ahead. "I'll tell you why I need to borrow your plane, and you'll tell me what you've been up to lately."

Kian had a feeling that curiosity wasn't the only reason Kalugal had said he would come over to hear the full story. The guy probably needed a break, and Kian could empathize. Babies were incredibly demanding, and as much as he and Syssi loved Allegra and would do anything for her, sometimes parents needed a short break to retain their sanity.

When he and Kalugal got comfortable on the lounge chairs, each with a glass of whiskey in hand, Kian opened the cigar box. "Which one would you like?"

"I'll take a Short Story. I promised Jacki to be back in an hour, so I don't have time for a full-sized cigar."

"That's a shame. I have a few Behikes."

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