Even though Sophie had seen her fair share of high-stakes situations, the presence of Kiran had knocked the wind out of her sails. Those overseas whispers about Kiran were no exaggeration.


    "So, how''d you figure out the butterfly ne was bugged?" Sophie asked, turning to Sandy.


    Sandy sheepishly scratched her head. "Isn''t there a saying, ''You are thepany you keep''? Hanging out with you all has sharpened my instincts. My brother never wanted me mingling with you, but suddenly, he sent me your way. I figured he wanted to confirm if there was really a rift between you guys."


    "Smart move," Sophie said, shing Sandy a rare smile of approval.


    After all this time, Sandy had finally started catching on.


    "You all are brainy; I had to step up my game!" Sandy leaned in closer to Sophie. "So, what''s next? Give me a task, and I''ll nail it!"


    Even with Sandy''s enthusiasm, Sophie was reluctant to put her at risk. "Kiran''s got his fingers in the Summerfield pie. Tracking you down wouldn''t be a big deal for them."


    "How''s that possible? My brother doesn''t have any business in Summerfield, so how could he have sway there?"


    "He might not, but The Silent Shadows do. With your brother being a key yer, he could easily rally their forces."


    "So, what''s the n?"


    Sophie''s gaze turned serious. "I need


    a favor. It


    be dicey, or it might


    be a walk in the park. If it turns out to be dangerous, I''ll make sure to get you out safe."


    "Sophie, I''ve got your back!" Sandy assured, giving Sophie''s shoulder a supportive pat. "I''m a Pord, after all. With my dad in the picture, no one can touch me." "Sandy, I can''t stress enough how serious this is."


    Sophie continued, "The Silent


    Shadows are made up of power


    yers from the past century. Your


    brother''s one of them, and the


    others only get tougher. Even as a Pord, I can''t promise you''ll bepletely safe. Are you sure about this?"


    "What''s there to be afraid of? You said yourself, if it gets hairy, you''l save me. Plus, my brother and dad won''t sit on their hands. I''ve gotten sharper, too-if things go south, I''ll be out of there in no time."


    Sophie managed a smile, though it was tinged with doubt.


    "Stop overthinking it. My brother''s a core member, so if anyone tries to mess with me, he''ll have my back. Sending me is the safest bet."N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    Without giving Sophie a chance to back out, Sandy pressed on, "It''s a done deal! Just tell me what you need, and I''m on it!"


    Seeing the determination in Sandy''s eyes, Sophie said, "I need you to pay a visit to the Gibbs family."


    "The Gibbs family? You mean the family of thete Leticia?"