There wasmore?
She unzipped it. It had lots of pockets, which was pivotal for a go-bag. She pulled out a pouch that was neatly packed with toiletries, including a toothbrush.
“I tried to organize it with the necessities.”
“You’re very good at organization,” she murmured.
“I’m a librarian.” He stated that like it was obvious. “You’ll have to put your documents and things in it once you get them again, but this is a good start, I think.”
She found two sealed decks of cards in one of the pockets. “A good start, yes.”
It was possible shewassomebody who could be appeased by a gift, because her anger was slowly receding.
Was this how other people felt when someone gave them flowers or jewelry? Because this was so thoughtful. And impeccably tailored to her. With the exception of her two surrogate dads, nobody had gotten her such a personal gift before. She felt... seen.
I think I like you.
She swallowed past the lump in her throat, and looked up at him. “Give me your hands.”
He frowned, but placed his hands on the table. Sejal put her new precious go-bag next to her on the booth seat. She took his hands in hers, adjusting her fingers so they rested on his pulse, and stared into his eyes. “Are you lying to me about anything else?”
His forehead creases deepened. “Yes.”
Her stomach sank, but then he continued speaking.
“There’s a tracker in my sweatshirt.”
She squinted at him. “What?”
“There’s a tracker—”
“I heard you. The sweatshirt you gave me, in the car, when you were driving me home?”
“Yes.”
“Who puts a tracker in their own sweatshirt?”
“I put them in a few of my clothes. I was worried that if Cobra made me disappear as well, my mother wouldn’t know what happened to me. I left instructions for her.”
Sejal’s breath caught. He’d sewn the trackers in in case he died. Damn, he really had beenall inon finding his brother, huh? “Krish. This might be taking care of your little sibling to the extreme.”
His jaw set. “What would you have done if it was Mira that was missing? What did she do when you were missing? I love my brother. I have to help him.”
“You’re right.” She thought of what Mira had said, about how Sejal hadn’t been her mom, absolving her of some of her guilt. Surely she could pay that forward here. “FYI, something I think we both need to learn is that being the eldest doesn’t mean youhave to solve everyone’s problems. And not solving everyone’s problems doesn’t mean that you’ve failed at being the eldest.” As she said the words, she tried to internalize them.
He gave a single nod. “Yes. I know.”
“Everything else has been the truth?”
His pulse stayed steady under her fingers. “Yes.”
The dynamics between him and his mom made so much more sense now. “For what it’s worth, your mom was wrong. You are cut out for this mess. I mean, I didn’t necessarily think you were FBI agent of the year, but I was willing to believe you were the real deal.”
He chuckled, and she thrilled at the low sound. Getting a laugh out of him, as serious as he was, was a feat. “Well, thanks. For what it’s worth, you are nothing like your parents.”
Her smile faded. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
