Because this?
This is the most alive I’ve felt in a long,longtime.
Even if part of me knows...
I’m still chasing an idea.
“I love you, Greesha,” Vir whispers, a small smile on his face. And a flicker in his eyes knowing that I won’t say the words back.
He knows. He accepts it.
So I respond the way I always have. “I know.”
His eyes close as he rests his forehead against mine. “Someday.”
Then he gets up. Our ritual—silent, painful, familiar—is complete.
After disposing of the condom and gently cleaning me up, we lie back down, tangled together in his bed. Our bed, I guess.
And then, of course, he ruins it.
“We’ve got another assignment.”
I groan as he chuckles beside me. “What now?”
I haven’t taken on anything major since Afghanistan, but I still handle short missions here and there. Enough to stay sharp. Not enough to care.
“Jaan, it’s not a big one, I promise.” He pulls me closer, pressing a kiss to my temple. “Remember Mohan Bedi?”
I nod against his chest. My fingers playing with the salt and pepper on his head.
That bastard was Vir’s target a few months ago—knee-deep in a child trafficking ring that spanned the northern Indian states. I hadn’t been involved in that operation, but I’d followed the reports. Vir brought it down piece by piece.
“So...” He clears his throat, tension tightening across his chest. “Apparently, we didn’t clean it up well enough. His brother, Mehul Bedi, took over shortly after.”
Of course he did. They always do. Like roaches, they scatter and rebuild.
“But the problem,” he continues, “is that Mehul already had a functioning trade business—clean on the surface, but backed by massive philanthropic funds.”
He pauses, and my stomach sinks.
I can already tell where this is going.
“Don’t tell me he owns orphanages. I swear to God—”
“I’m sorry,Jaan,” he interrupts softly. “He does. All across Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh... you name it.”
My jaw tightens.
He knows exactly what he’s doing.
Tapping into the one part of me still too raw to protect—my childhood. The orphanage.
And shamefully... it’s working.
“So what’s the assignment?” I grumble, voice low, guarded.
I feel him smile against my temple. That unnerves me more than the mission.
