I see my failure in his face every time I look at him.
Telling words. His face reminded his mom of failure. Her failure, but failure nonetheless. No wonder he couldn’t measure up.
Still, despite his annoyance and hurt, he’d texted his mother when they stopped for gas.
Thank you for everything. I’ll keep in touch.
Her reply had been immediate.
I love you. Please be careful.
She did love him. He and Avi were her universe, and after their dad had died, she’d dedicated herself to making sure they could have every skill she thought they might need to survive in an often dark world. But she’d cut Avi off at the first suspicion of a mistake, and doubted Krish’s abilities.
She was frustrating and he loved her, and at some point they were going to have to have a long talk, but now, over text, wasn’t the move.
Sejal took the phone and typed something into it. “Do you mind if I text someone?” she asked, head lowered.
His first instinct was to say yes, but he was trying to be as careful as possible. “Is it someone who could compromise our whereabouts?”
She hesitated. “Yes, he could. Not on purpose. Only if Alexei has realized we’re still connected.”
He.Krish wouldn’t ask. He didn’t need to know. Ah, damn it. “Who is he?”
She put the phone back in the holder in front of them, the map open. They were only twelve minutes from their destination.
Krish should have been asking where they were going and what mysterious errand she had to do, but learning about the people in her life was far more interesting.
At her silence, he glanced over. She picked at a hangnail on her thumb. “I don’t really know what to call him,” she finally said.“He was Alexei’s driver, Ken. The first year Alexei and I dated, Alexei was really good to me. Took me shopping all the time, showered me with attention. Then he started to get busier and busier, working with some pretty bad dudes. Plus cheating on me. I spent a lot of time waiting in the car for him and hanging out with Ken. We became friends.”
Her face softened. “He was older, like my dad’s age, and married to this sweet guy. They had me come over for dinner all the time, without Alexei. And when Alexei got more and more controlling, and started pushing me around—”
Krish didn’t mean to interrupt, but he couldn’t stop himself. “He hit you?”
She frowned. “Shoved. And then, yes. A few smacks.”
He’d like to shove Alexei into a brick wall, face first.
“Ken was the one who started talking to me about getting out. Even offered to hide me. When I thought I was pregnant, Ken was the one who drove me to the pharmacy to buy tests.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not.” Her words were low and fierce, but her hand was clenched tight. “Turns out I wasn’t pregnant, thank God. I never really wanted kids, but Alexei did, he thought it was his life mission to populate the world. When I cried about missing my period, he proudly told me that he’d messed with my birth control.”
“Jesus,” Krish muttered. “Is this guy like a cartoon villain or something?”
Her laugh was a rough bark. “They have to draw inspiration for those guys from somewhere, right? Anyway, I realized on that drive that I was low-key terrified of him, and I really did need to get out. Ken quit his job and helped me formulate a plan to leave.”
“Where are they now? Ken and his husband?”
Her lips curved down. “Kevin passed away. Kenneth is in an assisted living facility in London. I haven’t seen him since we moved him in a couple years ago, but he seems mostly happy. He came to America when he was a kid, but he always said he wanted to retire to the UK, so I tried to make it happen.”
Krish drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “Why haven’t you seen him in a couple years?”
She lifted a shoulder. “We call and text.”
“Take the next exit,” the GPS intoned. Krish obeyed, his brain working through the timeline.
“You haven’t seen him since your mom popped back into your life.”
