Page 71 of Dark Gambit Reliance
"Shai told us that he would ask Eric if he could fly us to Russia, but since Darlene is transitioning, that's not likely." He turned to Sofia. "Darlene is Toven's granddaughter, but he didn't know that he had grandchildren until recently. She met a nice guy who's a pilot, and without bothering you with too many details, he induced her, and she's in the process of transitioning. But since she's older, it's not going as smoothly as yours will."
Apparently, she wasn't the only one with a lousy grandfather. Tom also didn't care much about his granddaughter if he was on the other side of the globe while she was transitioning.
"I see." Sofia wrapped her arms around herself. "Shouldn't Tom be with Darlene when she's fighting for her life?"
"I'm sure he wants to be there for her," Eleanor said. "But since he's the only one who can overcome Igor's compulsion, he doesn't have much choice. He felt that it was up to him to free Jade and the rest of your people. Besides, Darlene is in good hands. She has her mate with her, and the clan doctor is supervising her transition."
49
MARCEL
Marcel had been expecting Shai to call back during their walk to Sofia's spot on the beach, but when they reached their destination and Shai still hadn't called, he turned the ringer off on his phone, and Eleanor did the same.
"Tell me what you are going to talk about with Valstar," Eleanor said as he handed Sofia the pendant to make the call.
Marcel listened with half an ear as Eleanor did her regular routine of compelling Sofia to stick to a pre-agreed script. When it was done, he and Eleanor put in their earpieces, which were in translation mode so they could understand Sofia's conversation with her grandfather.
Taking a deep breath, Sofia opened the pendant, pulled out the earpiece, and activated the device.
Valstar didn't answer right away like he usually did. "Sofia. I didn't expect a call from you today. Do you have news for me?"
"My condition is getting worse. The doctor says that I need an open heart surgery."
"That's very unfortunate, but it is not something that I can help you with."
Hearing the guy's answer spoken in a machine voice made him sound apathetic, and since Sofia heard the delivery in the same voice, her impression must also be the same.
"There is something you can do. It will help me tremendously to have my father with me. Can you let him know that I'm going to have an operation and send him here? I'll pay for his airfare, of course."
"I can't make a decision like that without Igor's permission, and he's not here at the moment. Call me again tomorrow."
Marcel tensed. Was Igor returning earlier than expected?
The panic in Sofia's eyes conveyed the same fear. "I might not be able to call tomorrow."
"Then call when you can. When is the operation?"
"Next week on Wednesday."
"Then you have plenty of time."
"Will Igor be back by tomorrow?" she asked.
"That's none of your business. I'll ask him when he calls, but I doubt he'll agree. Your father has never left the compound before, and it's not safe for him to travel alone."
As if Valstar was concerned with Sofia's father's safety.
The good news, though, was that Valstar had just confirmed that Igor wasn't returning to the compound the next day.
"Please, can you ask him anyway? Maybe he will show compassion for me. I might not make it through this operation."
"You are a strong girl, Sofia. You will survive. Be well." He ended the call on his side.
With a sigh, Sofia deactivated the device and put the tiny earpiece inside the pendant. "I got scared there for a moment. He sounded as if Igor was returning shortly."
Marcel wrapped his arms around her and ran small soothing circles on her back. "Valstar didn't sound like he didn't care. The machine voice eliminates the nuances of tonality, but what he said wasn't that bad. He called you strong and wished you well."
"Valstar was polite. Igor is polite as well. That doesn't make either of them any less of a monster." Sofia pulled out of his arms. "Check your phone. Shai might have tried to call you."