“No.”
He jerked her hair harder. “Did you tell him about the money?”
“I don’t know what money you’re talking about.”
He scoffed. “What does he want with you? Do I need to take care of him?”
While she was planning on getting rid of Krish, she didn’twant it to be permanent. “No. Not at all. He doesn’t know anything about Alexei. It’s family business.”
His icy eyes rested on her, like he was trying to look into her soul. He gave a hard nod. “Your mother. Cobra?”
Great. Alexei hadn’t known Cobra was her mother when they were dating, because Sejal hadn’t known. The press her mother’s arrest had garnered must have helped Alexei put two and two together and link her to the woman.
Sejal seized on the odd respect in Viktor’s tone. If she could harness the fear her mother had engendered, she would. She raised an eyebrow. “ShewasCobra. Who do you think is Cobra now?”
His smile highlighted the small scar by his mouth. “Not you.”
She lifted one shoulder. “Believe what you want.”
“I believe my job is almost complete.” Thankfully, he released her hair and gave her a push that made her stumble. “Get in the car so I can deliver you to Alexei and be done with this.”
Anytime now, Agent Krish.
She wanted to look back to see if Krish was bearing down on them, but she also didn’t want to give away his approach if he was.
He’s not. You’re on your own, like you always are.
They stopped next to the Mercedes. Viktor opened the back door and shoved her in, his hand half-heartedly protecting her head. She awkwardly sat inside and grimaced when he put a pair of handcuffs on her, chaining her to a metal D-ring between the seats.
A totally not ominous modification to make to a car. How many other people had been chained up in this back seat?
Viktor closed the door and walked away, rounding the back of the car, leaving her with a clear view of the sadly very empty parking lot.
See? Krish isn’t coming.
She’d known that, and so she wasn’t going to be disappointed at all. Low expectations had kept her content enough through life. Just because the FBI wanted her to bait her aunt out of hiding didn’t mean one agent would go up against an obviously professional criminal.
Sejal set her lips and twisted her wrists to get to the keyhole. Wasn’t she used to being on her own? She’d get out of these cuffs, somehow jump out of this car, abandon Krish to his weak little salad, figure out what money Alexei thought she had, maybe steal that money, and run away to Bora Bora. Perhaps make a pit stop to warn her aunt that the feds were on her tail. As a courtesy, not because she hoped to still have a relationship with the liar, of course.
Fuck, there was so much to do. But she was up to the task.
Viktor got in the driver’s seat and shut the door. “Do you think we could stop and get some food? I’m starving,” Sejal said. Not loud enough to arouse his suspicions, but definitely loud enough to cover what she was doing. She twisted her fingers around again and glanced down at the cuffs.
“I watched you stuff four pancakes into your mouth.”
“You can never have enough pancakes.”
“We’re not stopping. We’re driving straight to Vegas.” He cranked the engine.
That made sense, but it gave her no joy that they were going to the same place she and Krish had been headed. She might have wanted to go to Vegas with the FBI agent, but that was when she’d been flying under Alexei’s radar. “Can I make a radio station request,” she said as she eased her hands free of the cuffs as quietly as possible. “Or I can take aux.”
“You don’t get—”
A flash of white came from the corner of her eye, and that was all the warning she had before a car smashed into theirs. The impact was on the front passenger side, missing her door entirely, the force hard enough to shove the car into the retaining wall.
She met Krish’s eyes through the window, and she hated the relief that flooded her at his cool, intent gaze. She didn’t bother to spare her slumped-over would-be kidnapper more than a quick once-over. The glass was cracked on the driver-side window, and a smear of blood highlighted the webbing. The airbags on both doors and the steering wheel had deployed. Viktor groaned and shook his head, trying to shove the airbag away. “See ya, Viktor.” She shoved open the door, grateful he hadn’t thought to child-lock her in. Amateur.Alexei, you need better help.
The guy jerked around, blood streaming down his face. “You. Get back here.” He tried to open his driver-side door, but the Mercedes was pinned to the wall.
