She looked past him, eyes unfocused, like she was workingsomething through in her big brain. Her silence was so loud. Krish shifted his weight. He had to get her on board. “I’ll let you have control of the radio.”
She refocused on his face. Her laugh was a rough bark. “Damn it.”
“Come on.” He tugged her hand, and she looked down at it before easing away from him.
“On one condition.”
He eyed her warily. “What’s that?”
“I need to make a stop in Las Vegas.”
The request made him pause. “Why?”
“I grew up there. You don’t think I want to visit my hometown?”
Left her hometown when she was eighteen, does not seem to visit. Possible friction with her dad.Her file had not painted a picture of a sentimental woman. “No. Why do you really want to stop there?”
“Don’t worry about it. We have to pass by it anyway, don’t we? I want an afternoon, by myself, to get something done.”
The stubborn tilt of her chin told him she was going to dig her heels in on this.
She’s up to something.Well, obviously. When was a Chaudhary not up to something? Did it matter? If it motivated her to stay with him, he’d take it. He had days to change her mind or figure out what her plans were around Vegas. “I’ll give you an hour, but I’ll stay with you,” he allowed.
“Two hours, and fine, but you don’t get to stop me or get in my way.”
That was a terrible deal, but he nodded, simply so they could get on the road. No matter who was chasing her, he needed hermore than she needed him, and he’d have to do his damnedest to make sure she never discovered that. “Fine.”
She pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over her head and tightened the cord. “Any chance you have any of my clothes in your bag?”
“Sorry, no. I left the bag I thoughtfully packed for you when you went out the window.” But he did have her phone in there. He’d swiped it from her dresser before he’d left the apartment. At some point, he’d have to figure out how to get it unlocked so he could rifle through it for anything of value to him.
“I didn’t go out the window. Tracking clearly isn’t your strong suit.”
He ignored her and held out his hand. “Ready to play nice?”
She eyed it suspiciously. “We’re not friends.”
“Oh, I’m well aware that we’re natural enemies,” he said dryly. “I’m simply asking for a temporary truce here.”
“I don’t trust you to stick to a truce. I don’t trust you, period.”
“I don’t trust you to stick to one, either. But we’re both going to have to extend some level of belief in the other person, right? There’s no way we can sleep with one eye open for the next twenty-eight hundred miles.” Though he’d try.
She hesitated, then shook his hand. “Fine. Truce. Only until we get to the West Coast, though.”
Krish took back his hand. He didn’t need her once he got her aunt, so that was fine with him. “Obviously, yes.”
She started walking with him, checking over her shoulder every few feet. His neck itched. “How did you get away from the guy following you, anyway?”
“I sicced TSA on him.”
“Smart.” Very smart. He’d have to be on his toes around her.
They walked onto the AirTrain. Sejal carefully inspected everyone around them, her gaze sharp and astute. He faced straight ahead, and the doors closed. One thing was for sure: he didn’t trust her, and she was right not to trust him.
If he felt like shit about that, it was a problem he’d figure out after he had his brother back.
Chapter Five
