He hit send and then typed another message.
If you keep freaking out, I’m going to immediately disable the tracker you put on me.
That was an empty threat, because he assumed there were multiple trackers and a big one was probably the car they needed. Taking help from his mom was like signing a contract without fully reading the terms, but desperate times.
I see my failure in his face every time I look at him.Those words had wiggled into his brain. He wondered if he’d ever forget his mom had uttered them. He wondered if she’d ever forget she uttered them.
Fine, she messaged back, and he could hear her frustration even though she’d typed the word.
I know you said you didn’t want to talk about this, but Peter called. He wishes to speak with you. He says it’s urgent, and wouldn’t tell me what he needs. Call him back.
Krish leaned his elbows on his knees and stared at that message. What urgent thing could Avi’s old partner have to say to him that he couldn’t say to their mom? Their last meeting, in Krish’s home, when he’d learned about Avi being gone, had not ended well. Hearing the man talking about Avi like his guilt was a done deal when his brother hadn’t even been charged and given due process yet had been... rough. Krish had cut him off and kicked him out.
He could have found Avi.
Unlikely. He wouldn’t be so cryptic about it if he had.
Okay. I’ll call. I love you.
No response to that, but his mother wasn’t effusive about saying “I love you,” and she probably knew that he wouldn’t believe her if she promised not to worry.
Krish pulled his wallet out of his pocket and found the card he’d tucked in there. He had to brace himself before he punched the number in. It was picked up on the second ring. “Agent Schmidt.”
“Peter. It’s Krish, Avi’s brother. I understand you wish to speak with me.” His tone was stiff, but he couldn’t help it. This man had been Avi’s friend, basically his brother’s family. How had he been able to turn on him?
The same way your mom was able to turn on him.
Peter’s tone changed from brusque to sympathetic. “Krish. Hi. Thanks for getting back to me.”
“What can I do for you?”
“Have you heard from Avi?”
“I haven’t, no.”
“And where are you right now?”
Krish turned to stare out the window at the glittering skyline. “At home.”
Peter paused. “I know you’re not at home, Krish.”
“Are you following me, Peter?”
“Light surveillance. We were hoping Avi would contact you. Where are you?”
Krish clenched his jaw. He should have expected this, but it was galling nonetheless that the government had eyes on him. “If you have surveillance on me, then you should know.”
“We do not, actually, know.”
Okay, okay, okay. He’d given the fucking FBI the slip. Inadvertent or not, that was pretty cool.Who’s not cut out for this now?“I told you, Avi hasn’t contacted me. It doesn’t matter where I am. Was that all?”
“Why did you go to Avi’s house, Krish? You left rather suddenly and went back east.”
Ah. Of course they’d had the house under watch. “I wanted to see if I could find any clues there as to where my brother was.”
“Did you?”
What to tell him?Consider everyone a Cobra operative.But surely he could test the waters with Peter. This had been his brother’s best friend. “I found a letter.”
