Was she on board?
She closed her eyes for a second, clearing out the messiest parts of her feelings and thinking. No matter which way she looked at it, she could see the validity of the points Naveen was making. “Fine.” She looked at him. “Let’s do this.”
Sunil entered the room at a faster clip than he’d left it, a guard close at his heels. She and Naveen rose to their feet. He tossed Naveen a duffel. Naveen caught it one-handed, which made an unidentifiable thrill run through Mira. “You two need to get out of here, now. Go with Bob here.”
His sudden urgency made her heart stutter. “Did something happen?”
He strode to the monitors and pressed something on his phone. Mira took a step back as the screens all narrowed in on one area. Naveen steadied her with his hand on her shoulder. “Fuck.”
She concurred. There was Agent Stuart, prowling through the first floor, looking over the crowds.
“We have a facial recognition software. This was the same man who attacked me.”
“He’s one of the ones who kidnapped us.” Mira pushed her hair back. “There might be another one close behind him, with his arm in a sling.” Her stomach pitched. While she was glad she didn’t have a death on her conscience, her horror over shooting someone might never fade.
“We’ll look for anyone else. They either assumed you would come here, or they traced your vehicle.”
Perhaps someone had seen them drive away from the casino. Fuck.
Sunil nodded at the bag. “The keys to one of my cars is in there. Take it in good health. There’s some clothes and wigs and stuff, things you might find useful. You, uh, you two need cash?”
Something about the paternal concern in Sunil’s voice made her ache. “No. We’re good on money.”
“Gun?”
Their gun was in Gladys’s rust bucket parked outside. “It’s in our car outside.”
“I’ll take care of that.” Sunil opened his bottom drawer and pulled out a handgun. “You know how to use it?”
Mira nodded and accepted it. Her dad had taken her and Sejal to ranges out in the desert as soon as they were able to hold a gun. She hadn’t exactly been the best student, but they needed some form of protection. “Thank you.”
Sunil surprised Mira by hugging her tightly before they left the office, and she held him for a beat longer than necessary. If she closed her eyes, she could pretend that he smelled like Old Spice, and that it was her dad who was hugging her. Like it was that alternate reality.
And Sunil cemented that fantasy by leaving her first. No wonder he and her father had been friends. “One more thing: you need to create better working conditions for your employees,” Mira said hoarsely.
Sunil raised an eyebrow. “I pay them well.”
“I’ve worked with enough corporations to tell you that constant surveillance is a sign of poor management. Also, Glenda is the worst.”
“Brad’s not great either,” Naveen chimed in, and touched his perfectly lovely belly. “Rampant body shaming going on in this place.”
Sunil raised his eyebrows. “Um, I will take that under advisement. Mira . . .” he started, but then seemed to change his mind. “Go. We will detain this man. Good luck.”
As they followed Sunil’s silent guard down the back stairs, Naveen held out his hand. Another surprise. She put her hand in his, and he squeezed lightly, his fingers big enough to completely cover hers. He moved closer, so his naked arm brushed against her. “Go team.”
Warmth spread through her. “Yes, sir. Let’s go not die.”
Chapter Thirteen
Naveen had never changed into a suit in a car, and he really wished his first time wasn’t in the admittedly sexy, but far too small, red Mustang convertible they’d borrowed from Sunil.
They’d found a fast-food restaurant and pulled into the parking lot behind the building to don their party wear. Naveen paced away from the vehicle while Mira changed. The windows were tinted, but she’d turned her back while he’d dressed, so he did the same.
To occupy his hands and mind, he made a call. His grandfather’s voice was groggy when he picked up. “Hello?”
“Ajoba.” Naveen closed his eyes. “You’re awake.”
“Barely, boy. I took my melatonin. Why are you calling?”
“Um. I wanted you to know that I’m going to be out later.”
His grandfather had a smile on his face, Naveen could tell. “Good. Have fun. Don’t bother me unless you need a ride home.”
His grandfather would probably always treat him like he was a teenager. It had been maddening in his twenties, but was comforting now. “Has Ajay left?”
“Ajay?” His grandfather sounded confused. “Yes, of course. He had to go back to patrol.”
Naveen feared that patrol meant the man was simply sitting outside his grandfather’s house, but there was nothing he could do about that right now. “Okay. Good. Make sure the alarm is on.”
“It is. I spoke with your mother, by the way. She was short with me, I’ll have you know. But she’s fine. She was going to bed.”
Naveen exhaled, relief seeping into his bones. Thank God.
“Now, stop calling us, or this girl will think you have some issues.” His grandfather hung up.
Naveen almost dialed his mom next, but he didn’t want to wake her, so he texted. Hey, it’s Naveen, lost my phone, so using this one. Please call whenever you can.
A flash of movement caught his eye, and he swiveled his head to the car. He could see Mira’s shadow in the back seat. She twisted, and shimmied, and he immediately faced forward again.
Last thing he needed to do was get turned on by her shadow.
Naveen looked down at the phone and ran his thumb over the screen. Feels like something’s missing.
That had been the most poignant part of Mira’s dad’s email. Whether he meant it or not, Naveen had felt the words.
There was one person he hadn’t checked on yet in his family, and that made him feel both ashamed and guilty. He might not have talked to his elder brother in two years, but that was no reason not to ensure his safety.
You don’t have to make up with him to check in on him. Naveen hesitated, then he punched in another number. It rang and rang, and finally went to voicemail. “Hello, this is Kiran Desai. I’m not available to take your call.”
Naveen hung up. He didn’t know if he was glad the man hadn’t answered. On the one hand, uncomfortable conversation avoided. On the other hand, was he not answering because he was asleep, or because Cobra had him?
There’s no reason for Cobra to mess with Kiran when he already has more vulnerable members of your family in his grasp.
He pocketed the phone and walked back to the car. His borrowed shoes were too tight and heavy.
He gently knocked on the window. “We should get going, if you’re ready.” Instead of rolling the window down, Mira opened her door and stepped out.
He nearly swallowed his tongue, and momentarily forgot his inner turmoil. She was wearing a silver sequined dress, which shimmered in the streetlight with vibrant energy. It was floor length, but when she moved from sitting to standing, her thigh emerged, round and supple.