Chapter Ten #2
That the name made his mother look that aghast told him all he needed to know about how dangerous Alexei was.
In over your head.
He set his jaw. He might be, but he was going to see this through, damn it. “Yes.”
“You are dating someone who dated an Ivanovitch? Do you have any idea how vicious his family is, Krish?”
He felt driven to defend Sejal again. “It was a long time ago. She was a kid.”
“What does he want?”
“She doesn’t know.”
“Do you think he tracked you here?”
“Unlikely. We’ve already tossed our phones. He sent the same man after her twice, once in New York, once in Nebraska. The
guy’s car has been disabled, and hopefully our trail grew cold in the time it took him to find a new one.”
“Either he doesn’t have much manpower, or he only trusts one person,” she mused.
“I guess it’s possible they could figure out who I am and connect me to you, and then this place . . .”
She waved her hand. “Even if they do, digging through the layers of shell companies I’ve set up to buy property would require
more work than the average mobster would or could manage.”
That was what Krish had figured, too. If his mother was anything, it was thorough.
“However, we’ll increase security first thing in the morning.” Aarthi paused. “How was his car disabled?”
Krish hesitated. “I ran mine into it.”
His mom’s skin was lighter than his, but it drained of color. “Krish.”
“I’m fine.”
She surveyed his face, and he knew exactly what she was looking at. Nobody had spent more time analyzing every centimeter
of his scar than his mother. “You’re not.”
“It had to be done. It’s over.”
“It must have brought up—”
“You know I don’t remember the accident.” He softened his tone immediately, because while he didn’t have memories of the car
crash that had taken his father, his mom did. Driving was a necessary evil, as far as she was concerned. She’d grimly taught
him and Avi how to handle a vehicle when they were thirteen and fourteen, determined to make them as safe on the road as possible.
But even the thought of car crashes still rattled her. “Like I said, I’m fine.” Or at least, he was much less shaky now than
he had been in the immediate aftermath. With time, he’d forget the sound of the glass and metal. He hoped.
She surveyed him from head to toe, and he realized that he must look especially bedraggled. “This Seema girl, she’s really
your girlfriend? I can’t quite believe it, though I saw you kiss in the woods.”
Look at that, the kiss in the woods had been a good cover. Weren’t all their kisses subterfuge?
But that was a lie, that kiss had been motivated purely by how cute she’d looked standing there in the forest, wearing his socks on her hands.
Stop thinking about the kiss. “Yes.”
Aarthi rubbed her temples. “Well, I can’t not help my son’s girlfriend. You will stay here tonight. Tell me what you need,
and I’ll get it for you.”
Krish released his breath in a long exhale. He’d known his mother would help him if everything was normal, but the land mine
of his brother’s dilemma had unexpectedly pitted them against each other and demanded he keep secrets from her. “Clothes,
phones, cash, an ID, and a car that can’t be traced.”
“And what are you going to do with those things? What’s your plan? Do you have somewhere to go?”
“Yes. Don’t worry about it.” Because he’d worry about it enough for everyone.
Alexei had thrown a wrench into his already filled-with-wrenches plan. He needed a second to figure out his next move. He’d
been hoping the safe house would be the place to do that, but that was when he’d assumed it would be empty.
He rubbed the back of his neck, and his mom must have caught sight of the fatigue in the gesture, because she backed off.
“It’ll take me at least two days to get all of that.”
Two days was unacceptable. “I’d like to leave by tomorrow, first thing.”
“Impossible. At best I can get you out of here by tomorrow evening.”
There was a finality in her voice that told Krish this was truly the best she could do.
Rationally, he knew that was about right.
It was a big ask, what he was demanding, and most people probably couldn’t do it in less than a week.
But his mother had contacts everywhere, and if there was anyone who could pull off a miracle, it was her.
“Is it foolish to hope that you won’t embed tracking devices in everything you give us? ”
Her eyes gleamed. “Yes.”
No choice. He’d figure out the police state that was his mother later. “Fine. We’ll stay for a day. Probably best if we don’t
discuss Avi anymore while we’re here.” Both because it was pointless and because he couldn’t let Sejal figure out that he
was not actually Avi “Krish” Anand.
“Yes. Probably best.” She looked like she wanted to ask him a million questions, but she dipped her head. “Go, shower, rest.
I’ll see you at breakfast.”
Krish slipped out of the office, aware that his mother had given him a reprieve due to his obviously disheveled appearance,
but it wasn’t likely to last long.
It was fine. He just had to get through the night, and the next day, but the hours ahead felt interminable. Krish released
a big sigh, staring down at the diamond-patterned carpet beneath his feet.
Literally nothing was going right. Fate was definitely trying to tell him something. Consider this a small speed bump. You didn’t let not getting a flight faze you. Don’t let this.
“You okay, Krishna?”
Krish straightened and turned around to find Patrick standing at the end of the hallway. “Yes. I’m fine.”
Patrick’s blue eyes went from his face to the door of his mother’s office, then back again. The man’s expression was relaxed
and friendly, like it always was.
Krish had been a senior in high school when his mother informed her two sons, out of the blue, that she was dating the local vet.
He and Avi had been surprised, both because she was dating after so many years as a widow and because she didn’t really like animals.
They’d lobbied for a dog for ages, with no luck.
If Krish had imagined who his mother would end up marrying after many years grieving his father, it would have probably been
someone as intense as her. But no, instead she’d brought home this younger guy with golden retriever energy. Krish liked his
stepfather well enough, but his big, jovial manner was so . . . much.
“Did you talk about your brother?”
Krish stiffened. Patrick shouldn’t still feel like an outsider, but Krish hadn’t truly lived with the man enough for him to
feel like a stepfather, either. “A little, yes.”
“Figured. Don’t worry, she’ll come around.”
It was surprising to hear that Patrick was on Avi’s side. Unlike Krish, Avi had been in tenth grade when Patrick was added
to the household, and the two of them had butted heads more than once. Well, as much as Patrick could butt heads with anyone.
Really, it had been Avi exploding and Patrick calmly taking it. “I don’t know if she will. She doesn’t believe him.”
Patrick grimaced. “Oh, ah, well. I only meant that hopefully she’ll get to a point that she can talk about Avi again. It’s
grief, but she loves him. You know we came to this house because I think she hoped he might decide to run here.”
That was surprising to hear. “Avi wouldn’t come here. He’d know she’d turn him in without listening to his side.” His mother
was fanatical about right and wrong.
Patrick cleared his throat. “You don’t think . . . I was there when Peter came by. The evidence is pretty stacked against
your brother, Krish.”
Et tu, Patrick?
Everyone thought Avi was guilty, but it was okay.
Avi didn’t need anyone on his side so long as he had Krish.
Since the second his mother had put his baby brother in his arms, Krish had protected him, and he’d continue to do exactly that.
“Yeah. So she said. I told her we shouldn’t talk about Avi while we’re here.
You and I shouldn’t, either. To keep the peace.
” And to keep my fake girlfriend from finding out Krish and Avi are two different people. “If you don’t mind, I’m pretty tired.”
Patrick dipped his head. “Don’t mind at all. I put your girlfriend in the room at the top of the stairs. I scrounged together
some clothes for both of you. Sorry if they don’t fit well.”
Ah, shit. If Krish refused to sleep in the same room as his so-called girlfriend, it would get back to his mother.
Damn it. “Great.”
“You hungry? Need me to make you something? I got Seema a sandwich, I can make you one, too.”
Good. He was glad Sejal had eaten. He still felt guilty about that salad. He shook his head. “I’m good. Thank you, Patrick,
for everything. We’ll be out of your way as soon as possible.”
“Oh, please, no. This is your home, and it’s a stressful time, what with . . .” Patrick clearly rethought bringing up Avi
again, because he waved his hands vaguely. “Everything.”
And Patrick didn’t even know yet what everything entailed. Krish was sure his mom would fill her husband in. “Everything is a lot right now. Thanks again.”
Krish heard the office door open and shut behind Patrick as he walked away, and then the low bass of Patrick’s voice as he
spoke to Aarthi.
The need for sleep directed his tired feet to his bedroom at the top of the stairs. The door squeaked when he opened it.
She’d left the nightstand lamp on. For a safe house that was rarely used, his mom had done her best to make the place comfortable.
The furnishings were dainty, with lacy fabrics and beach-themed art.
The queen bed stood in the center of the room.
The lump under the white duvet told him where Sejal was.
He closed the door behind him quietly and paused. Her breathing was low and even. She was fast asleep, only her forehead and
hair visible above the blanket.
I don’t like sleeping in bed with someone.
Internally, he groaned. A soft mattress was not in his future tonight, he supposed. Luckily, there was a small floral loveseat