Page 75 of Dark Chains: First Link
"Thank you for trusting me," she said.
He looked at her for a moment, and there was a flash of warmth in his eyes. "If I can't trust my oldest friend, who can I trust?"
29
KIAN
The conference room smelled like Shai's latest coffee acquisition, which was either Ethiopian or Guatemalan, and either way was excellent. Kian made a mental note to find out where Shai was getting these beans before Jackson caught wind of it and bought the entire plantation.
Turner was already seated at his usual spot, yellow legal pad in front of him, pen uncapped, the first two lines of the page filled with his cramped, precise handwriting. Whatever he'd been thinking about on the drive over had been important enough to commit to paper before the meeting started.
Toven sat across from Turner, looking surprisingly alert for a seven-thousand-year-old god who had just told them he hadn't slept at all because he'd been kissed by the muse and had written furiously through the night, finishing his latest romance novel.
Onegus sipped on his coffee, waiting patiently for the rest of the team to arrive, and right now it meant only Lokan because everyone else was already there.
Over the last few calls, Losham hadn't asked to speak with his brother, and Lokan hadn't contributed much, but Kian still wanted him there. The guy knew the island and was indispensable for the planning stage, even though he hadn't known about the secret tunnel and the cove with the submarine.
Lokan entered the office, murmured an apology for being late, and slid into the chair beside Toven. He looked troubled, and understandably so. He had big dreams for the island, and this operation was not going to make them come true. Nothing short of conquering it would do that.
"We have a lot to cover after the call, so let's get to it."
Shai set the coffee carafe on the conference table along with an assortment of mugs and left the room, not because he wasn't invited to stay, but because he had a lot of work unrelated to this latest mission. Someone had to keep the clan business running while Kian was busy saving Khiann and his companions.
Toven reached for the phone, dialed Losham's number, and activated the speaker.
It rang three times.
"Yes." Losham sounded more composed than he had in recent calls, which was either a good sign or a performance. With Losham, it was difficult to distinguish between the two.
"Good evening, Losham. Please report," Toven said, the compulsion threading through his voice not as heavy as it had been in the beginning because there was no need. Losham assumed it was there and responded accordingly.
"The structural engineers have completed the retrofit. Steel beams and reinforced bracing are in place, and the chiefengineer has signed off on the site as safe for work to resume. The crews return tomorrow morning."
Kian leaned forward. "That's good news. What's your timeline for reaching the chamber?"
"Two weeks. Give or take."
Give or take. The qualifier had applied to every previous estimate that had been blown to pieces, sometimes literally. Two weeks had been Losham's default answer.
"What are you basing your estimate on?" Kian asked.
"I'm using immortal crews this time. They're faster, stronger, and don't need as many rest periods as the humans I was using before. It looks as bad as, or worse than after the first booby traps were sprung, so I assume it will take about the same time at most. It's always better to overestimate than underestimate."
Generally, that was true, but not in this case. Kian needed exact timing, and thanks to the enhanced soldiers, he would get it. Provided that they were legit and this wasn't an elaborate setup.
"What about your brothers?" Onegus asked. "Are they still causing trouble?"
"Kolhood has backed off since the support structure was approved by the engineers. He can't argue with a professional assessment, and attempting to would make him look obstructionist. The other two are following his lead."
"For now," Lokan said.
"For now," Losham agreed. "My brothers are predictable. Kolhood will find another angle of attack eventually, but theexcavation gives him nothing to work with as long as the engineers maintain their clearance and nothing else collapses."
"Anything else we should know?" Toven asked.
"Like what? You need to be more specific."
"How is life on the island without Navuh?"
