Page 31 of Dark Gambit: The Play

Sofia was glad that she didn't have the information they needed, and that no matter what they did to her, she wouldn't help them launch an attack against the compound. She didn't give a damn about what happened to Igor and his inner circle, but she cared about everyone else that was in the same situation as she was, forced to live a life they hadn't chosen.

Did she care about her grandfather?

He'd been nice to her during the preparation period, and they had gotten a little closer, but he should have warned her that she might get caught. Stupidly, she hadn't considered the possibility that she wasn't coming back from the mission. If she had, she would have at least said goodbye to her father and her aunts and cousins and everyone else she was never going to see again.

Cradling the mug between her palms, Sofia looked down at the dark brew to hide her tears. "Did you get any sleep?"

"None of us did. We were waiting for you. How is the headache?"

"Better, but it's still there." She took a couple of sips. "I'd better freshen up." She handed it back to him.

Marcel nodded. "I'll wait for you in the living room. Do you want me to leave the mug here or take it?"

"You can take it. I will be out in a minute."

It ended up taking a little longer than that because the tears sprang out the moment she closed the bathroom door behind her, and she needed to calm down and wash her face before braving the group waiting for her in the living room, or more specifically, Tom and Marcel.

The others didn't seem like a threat.

"Good morning." Tom smiled in what was his version of a friendly manner. "How are you feeling?"

"A little better, thank you." She sat next to where Marcel had put her mug down.

Did Tom even deserve her politeness?

Marcel had warned her to be cordial to Tom and react to him as if he were a prince, but the good will she'd initially felt toward him had evaporated once she'd realized his agenda.

Tom wasn't there to help her. He was there to help his organization and pump her for information.

"Would you like something to eat?" Mia asked.

"No, thank you. I still feel a little nauseated. For now, I'll just stick with coffee."

"I'll get you a fresh cup." One of the guards pushed to his feet.

They were all pretending to be so nice, but Tom was about to barrel into her mind again and get her to tell him things she wouldn't even if she was free to.

"I thought of another approach," Tom said. "Instead of trying to override Igor's compulsion one item at a time, which will take forever, I will override his command to keep everything about him and his community a secret. Wouldn't you prefer that? Your mind will be your own."

Right. Up until she refused to answer a question or avoided direct answers, and he compelled her to talk.

"That would be nice."

"I thought so." He took his fiancée's hand. "Do your thing, love."

She chuckled. "I don't do anything consciously. I just need to be near you."

What were they talking about? Was Mia a compeller who needed to channel her power through Tom's?

He brought her hand to his lips. "That's what I meant."

Turning his eyes to Sofia, he said, "You are free to speak your mind. All your thoughts and memories belong to you, and you can do as you please with them."

Sofia waited for the headache to start, or for something inside of her to change, but she didn't feel any different than she felt a moment ago.

"I don't think it worked."

Toven smiled. "Let's try a question from yesterday. Tell me about your community. Is it big?"