“I didn’t steal it. He owed me that watch. I found his jack of diamonds!”
AgentKrish had to be a harder-ass than Regular Krish was. “I’m not sure that’s a recognized defense anywhere, but you can try it.”
There was so much animosity in her glare, he had to hide his wince. He wasn’t used to a woman disliking him. While he wasn’t a ladies’ man, most women tended to find him kind and respectful.
You don’t cuff most women after they kiss you.Or at least, only if they asked him to.
Youhave topress harder. You don’t have time for this, either.
He inched the chair back. “Or I can try your sister.”
Mira Chaudhary. Doesn’t know anything about Cobra. Shocked her mom is alive. Believes her aunt is dead. Accountant, no criminal ties at all. Aunt Rhea loves Mira, but really has a soft spot for the older sister. Husband is rich. Dead end.
Unlike Sejal, Mira had been interviewed after her mother had been arrested. Krish had watched the tape. The younger sibling, dressed in a prim little suit, hair neatly tied, had answered every question they’d put to her, taking occasional tiny sips of water.
Krish had contemplated going to Mira first, but her husband was an attorney whose family was wealthy and well connected and could easily whisk her away on a private jet. He couldn’tpretend to be an agent with them without getting immediately background-checked, and he doubted that Mira’s desire to help him would trump her feelings for her aunt.
No, Sejal’s loner lifestyle worked for this. She was without resources, and had a healthy reason to be wary of law enforcement.
Ice cold.That was what Avi used to call him when he was hyper-focused on a project. That’s what he had to be here.
Sejal drew in a sharp breath. When she spoke again, her words were low and sinister. If he hadn’t been desperate, he might have been scared.
“Stay away from my sister.”
Ah. Here was a good pain point.Good, yes, get back to thinking like this. Ruthless. The way you thought before she pressed her body against yours.“I didn’t think you were close to your sister.”
“I’m not. But she doesn’t know anything about this world. She doesn’t need to be dragged into it.”
“Then all you have to do is come with me.” He tapped his watch. “Time’s ticking, Sejal.”
Her nostrils flared. “Okay, Anand. So if I help you, you’ll leave me and my sister alone after?”
“Yes.”
She looked around the room, as if she expected someone else to pop out. “We’re going alone? You don’t have a partner or anything?”
“Like you said, Cobra has eyes and ears in every agency. Only a few people know what I’m doing here. I’m not risking a leak so Rhea can bolt.” Did that sound cloak-and-dagger enough?
“I’m not flying to California like this.” She jiggled the metal of her handcuffs.
Yeah, she couldn’t. His brother’s borrowed credentials wouldn’t hold up to TSA. “Once we get to the airport, if you promise not to run, I will take the handcuffs off.”
“You believe my aunt and I care for each other. You’re not scared that she’ll kill you for using me like this, to get to her?” Sejal asked softly.
He almost laughed. He was scared shitless. There were a million things that could go wrong, including Sejal’s aunt believing him to be an actual threat to her niece. If she could make his brother disappear, what could she do to him?
But the leader of Cobra was a ghost, impossible to find otherwise. These were the only leads he had. He had no choices left except to hope that this hastily executed gambit would be so unexpected that Rhea wouldn’t have time to squash him. Rhea was the only one who could help him. Avi could be dead—
No. He wouldn’t think that way. Not yet.
“Don’t worry about it. Get me to the head of Cobra, and our business will be done,” he confirmed. She sat back. His sweatshirt slipped over her shoulder.
“Fine.”
He gave a long exhale.
“How am I supposed to pack my bag? I’m not traveling cross-country without a toothbrush.”
