Chapter Seven #3
His grip on her hair tightened, and he jerked her head back, so she could see his face. There was no doubt now about the gun.
She could feel it against her back, through Krish’s hoodie and Viktor’s jacket. “Did you tell him about Alexei?”
“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’t want 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. “She was Cobra. 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.
She jumped out and ran to the back door of Krish’s car and launched herself in just as she heard a few pops and glass shattering.
Krish didn’t even wait for her to close the door before he reversed and peeled out and away. She reached out, groping for
the door handle, and slammed it closed behind her. There was another pop, and the back glass shattered.
She hated guns.
“Stay down,” Krish growled.
He didn’t need to tell her twice. Sejal found her balance and crouched on the floor of the back seat, closing her eyes. The
pops and pings stopped after a few moments. Their ride evened out, got smoother. She focused on her breathing, trying to keep
that adrenaline from taking her over again.
Good girl. You stayed calm and collected. You are tough. You don’t need anyone.
Except Krish had saved her again, and that was annoying. Not annoying because she was alive, but because it was a slippery slope to liking
someone who kept saving you. The last thing she needed was to get soft on Krish.
So he helped you out of a jam and gave you sweatpants. He also tried to seduce you and has essentially kidnapped you. Never
forget the kidnapping!
“You can get up now. His car isn’t in any shape to follow us right away.”
Sejal’s legs were long enough that she couldn’t gracefully get out of her crouched position. She rose and clambered into the
front seat, trying not to touch him. Even then, her hip brushed Krish’s shoulder. He jerked away, which didn’t hurt her feelings
in the slightest.
Oh, yeah. And he hated her family and everything they stood for, so she really couldn’t get soft on this guy.
They made their way back to the freeway. Sejal buckled her seat belt, though the protection it provided seemed laughable after
what they’d already dealt with. Still, it would suck to escape from a madman with a gun and then be done in because of a car
accident. “What,” she said hoarsely, “took you so fucking long?”
“What are you talking about?” Krish didn’t take his gaze from the road. His hands were wrapped properly around the wheel,
at ten and two, as usual. “I came after you immediately.”
“It took you forever.”
“It took me minutes.” His fingers flexed. There was a cut on one of his hands, she presumed from glass. Their windshield had
multiple bullet holes in it.
“That was not minutes.” It had been an eternity. Surely she’d been walking across that parking lot with Viktor for an hour at least.
What is wrong with you?
She took stock. Yes. She was furious.
Furious because he’d made her think that he wasn’t coming to help her, and then furious that he had, stepping over her bargain
basement expectations of him.
“It was minutes. I had minutes to come up with a plan that would incapacitate that guy long enough for us to get away and
not have him follow us immediately. Thank God he didn’t have time to tie you up.”
She rubbed her wrists, the cold metal still burning her. Funny how Krish’s cuffs hadn’t felt quite so oppressive.
Because you know what Alexei and Viktor are capable of. Worse than your mother, definitely worse than an FBI agent who loans you his clothes. “He cuffed me,” she said. “But I’d already worked my way out by the time you showed up.”
“Of course you had.”
His voice was without inflection, so she couldn’t tell if that was an insult or a compliment.
“I’m impressed, Agent Anand.”
“By what?”
“By your cool. You have ice in your veins. Must be your elite training.”
He checked his rearview mirror. “Must be.”
She pulled in a deep breath and tried to think. The front and back windows, plus two of the passenger-side windows, were shattered,
and the front of their car was crumpled. “But your plan had to involve ruining our only transport?”
“You should see the other guy.”
She looked over her shoulder. She might stay with her head swiveled around for the indefinite future. “How did you know I
didn’t go willingly with him?” Given how she’d wandered off last night, she was surprised he hadn’t thought of that possibility.
“You left your bag at the table. There was also . . . your walk.”
“My walk?”
“Yes. It wasn’t your usual walk. You were stiff. Normally you’re extremely fluid.”
He’d noticed the way she walked? Probably more of that elite training. “I don’t suppose you brought my stuff?”
“No. I was focused on getting you back.” He looked at her, and she was surprised by how at odds his almost monotone, inflection-less
voice was with the warmth in his eyes. The hazel had become more of a light brown, the green nearly drowned out by his pupils.
“I need you.”
She licked her lips. No, she couldn’t be swayed by that need. Need for work purposes, just like everyone else. Because she was always a tool and a pawn, never a person.
She inhaled, then exhaled in a gusty rush again. “Right. You need me.”
“And I think it’s even clearer now that you need me.”
Sejal sucked her teeth, annoyed. Before she could reply, he continued speaking. “I assume that guy was the one from the airport?”
“Yes.”
“Do you have a name for him?”
“Viktor.”
“Viktor what?”
“No idea.” That was the truth. Ken might know, he’d driven them around enough, but she’d be damned if she’d bring Ken into this.