“If it was a rental, I hope you got the supplemental insurance.”
“Thanks, Cary, for the assist,” Sejal said. “And please thank your friend in building security for turning the hallway cameras off for a few minutes.”
“Not a problem.” The stoic, giant guard handed her a gun. “I took this from the little man.”
Alexei squawked. “Hey!”
Sejal might not like guns, but she handled this one like a champ. She patted the guard’s arm. “Please wait outside. We’ll signal you if we need you.”
Cary nodded and left, closing the door behind him.
Viktor’s lips tightened. “Your boyfriend is FBI, Sejal?” he sneered. He might as well have said,Yourboyfriend is a cannibal.
“He is indeed,” Krish said. He sounded much more certain about it than he had when he’d tried to fool Sejal, so that was good. “Keep those hands in the air, Viktor.”
Sejal searched him, while Krish quickly searched Alexei, finding another gun at his ankle and a knife in his pocket.
“You work with the feds now,” Alexei whined. His cheeks were florid. Women probably found the criminal handsome. Alexei had a strong face and body, but his muscles came from the gym, and he clearly skipped leg day. He was all arms and traps.
“No. He works for me.” Sejal cocked her head. “I told you, Viktor, who I was.”
Alexei frowned. “Who are you?”
“Cobra.”
Alexei barked a laugh. “Fuck off.”
Krish gave a thin smile. “I still say we should just kill them.”
Alexei stopped laughing.
“No, no,” Sejal replied. “We’re going to extend Alexei some professional courtesy and resolve this as quickly and cleanly as possible. For old times’ sake.” She paused. “But if it’s not clean, we have our men right outside the door and all over this building. If we don’t walk out of here, you two won’t make it out, either.”
Krish gestured to the couch with his gun. “Have a seat, friends. Keep your hands where I can see them.”
Once they sat, Krish came to stand in front of them, in the light.
Alexei’s expression changed from anger to surprise as he surveyed him. “You look like—” He shook his head. “What did you say your name was?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
An ugly smile spread over Alexei’s face, and he relaxed. “Sejal, you fool. This is the agent who sold you out. Called me out of the blue a little over a week ago, told me exactly where you could be found. Your aliases, too. It cost me a small fortune, but it was a nice, fat file.”
The air strangled in Krish’s throat. No. “What?”
Alexei snapped his fingers. “You have distinctive eyes. Anand, right? You have another snake in your midst, Cobra.”
Krish tried to regain his composure. He couldn’t focus on his brother now. He had to get through this, and then he could properly think it all through.
Avi. How could you do this?
Sejal cleared her throat. “I told him to do that.”
Alexei and Viktor both swung their eyes back to her, giving Krish, she hoped, a moment to recover.
Jesus, Avi. No wonder everyone had found her around the same time. Alexei and Krish had been operating off the same intel.
Funny enough, as pissed as she was at Avi, she was more worried about Krish. His face had turned ashen under his natural skin color.
