“He apologized,” Sunil insisted.
“To you. Not us. Not me.” Sejal crossed her arms. “An apology is like a tree falling in the woods when no one’s around. If it doesn’t make a sound likeI’m sorry, it doesn’t count.”
Sunil shook his head. “You’re both as stubborn as he was. That’s not a compliment.”
“This is a place where we both have to agree to disagree, Sunil Uncle,” Mira said crisply, crossing her legs. “Sejal, is there anything we can do to help you with this Alexei guy?”
Yeah, time to get back to business. “All those years ago, Dad tracked down some incriminating evidence about Alexei’s embezzlement. He threatened Alexei with it, to get him to back off, and it must have been bad enough that the man listened.”
“Your father didn’t give it to you?” Naveen asked.
“I asked him for it, but he refused.”
The phone in Krish’s pocket buzzed, then buzzed again. They sat so close together she could feel it against her side. He pulled it out and looked at it. A grim expression crossed his face, but he silenced the phone and put it back in his pocket.
“Dad liked to hold things over people’s heads,” Mira said, and a barely banked spark of anger simmered under the surface of the words.
Truer words were never spoken. Mira got it. “I didn’t really need it then, so I didn’t care enough to fight him for it. He left it in the storage unit, I’m sure. But the unit is empty.”
“Mira cleaned it out after all that unpleasantness a couple years ago, in case the authorities found it,” Sunil said, subdued now.
“Yes. It’s actually where Rhea Auntie left us the jewels.”
Of course. For some reason, it hadn’t occurred to Sejal to ask her sister where she’d found Rhea’s inheritance.
For the first time, Sejal kind of regretted not doing a proper postmortem with her sister after Mira had freed her from Rushali’s grasp. She’d been so eager to get out of there, and away from her family, that she’d run without knowing exactly what Mira had gone through to get to that hotel room.
“So the contents of the storage locker are in LA?” Krish asked.
Naveen narrowed his eyes at the other man. “You know where we live?”
“I mentioned it to him,” Sejal cut in. She hadn’t, but there was still no need to explore the FBI agent land mine when they had others to blow up.
Mira shook her head. “No. I didn’t have the energy to go through it, so I just moved what was left to another facility here.”
Krish’s sigh of relief echoed hers.
“Great,” Sejal said. “We can go there now, then. What’s the address?”
“I’ll come with you and show you. I know where everything is, we could find it quicker.”
Sejal hesitated. “Uh, it could be dangerous.”
Mira raised an eyebrow. “How so? I very much doubt your Alexei knows where the new unit is.”
“I’ll call my guards and driver. They’ll take you so you’ll be well protected.” Sunil pulled out his phone.
“Maybe you should stay with your baby,” Sejal persisted.
Naveen shook his head. “I’ll stay with the baby.”
Damn it. She didn’t want to be alone with Mira. Sejal licked her lips. At least Krish would—
“I’ll stay here as well. I have some calls to make.”
What? He was going to leave her side? Did he... trust her?Her?
No, her brain’s cynical side said.He just knows you won’t Thelma and Louise away with the sister you’re clearly not comfortable with.
