Chapter Thirty
Iris
My heart is lodged in my throat as I wait for Harshita in her office.
I think she’s purposely taking her time to increase my anxiety.
In her opinion, my relationship with Kian will compromise my ability to investigate the case. She’ll believe I’m biased when I claim that he’s innocent. My word won’t be enough unless I have concrete evidence. Nothing short of the name of the real culprit will be proof to make her believe me.
For all I know, she’s going to fire me today. However, she chose me for a reason. Plus, with the information she’s shared with me, she wouldn’t risk letting me go for the fear that I might join any rival company. But the NDA I’ve signed will prevent it.
A frustrated sigh rises inside my chest. I push it down, gulping in steady breaths.
Just when I think I can’t take the wait anymore, the door swings open behind me.
Harshita’s heels click on the sleek floor as she passes me and rounds to sit behind her desk.
Pushing her glasses up to her forehead, she fixes her impassive gaze on me.
“Hello, Iris. How have you been? I’m sorry about your grandfather’s passing. ”
“Thank you. I’m doing fine.”
Her quota of small talk filled, she gets straight to the point. Something I both hate and like about her. “One of the most important rules of going undercover: never get close to the target or the suspect, which could put everything in jeopardy. I thought you were smarter than that.”
I take the jab, expecting it. “Are you taking me off the case? I’d like to point out that the case is still intact. I haven’t said anything to Kian, who shouldn’t be a suspect because he’s innocent.”
“Says the woman who’s in love with him.”
“Yes, I am. But my judgment isn’t clouded.
Kian doesn’t have anything to do with the girls going missing.
He’s been privately investigating his company for more than a year.
After he had shut down the hiring program, everything went back to normal.
It wasn’t until I got attacked that he realized it’s more serious and that the person is an employee of his. ”
“So, he’s actively investigating by himself?”
“Yes. It’s personal to him since I’m a target myself. You need to give him the benefit of the doubt and tell the same to the detective you’re working with.”
She studies me inquisitively, while I hope I’m at least making her rethink.
“As much as I’d like to do that, I’m afraid things aren’t looking good for him,” she finally says.
“What?” I frown.
Reaching for a file on the side, she slides it to me. As I flip it open, she drops the bomb. “Two more female employees went missing.”
My vision tunnels as I gape at Rhea’s and Yukta’s pictures staring back at me. No. How did this happen? When I didn’t see Yukta at the office today, I thought she was on leave or something.
Oh Lord! Is this my fault? She came to me asking for help, but I never talked to Kian. With everything happening then, it slipped my mind entirely. I was too caught up in my personal drama to give a second thought to helping the women at the office.
Now my friend has been taken by a criminal organization.
“Did you know them?”
I jerk my gaze to Harshita. “One of them is my childhood friend. We recently reconnected. When were they taken?”
“Last week. Both were out and never made it home.”
“It doesn’t make sense,” I utter. “They didn’t work in IT. Yukta was in the marketing department while Rhea was a receptionist.”
“It seems there are more than two people involved.”
A single person has higher chances of getting caught.
“You wanted proof that Kian’s innocent? I’ve been by his side for the last three months, whether at the office or home.
He hasn’t interacted with either of these women.
No way he’s had a hand in kidnapping them.
Honestly, what would he gain by doing something so heinous?
He has all the money and power in the world.
His company is his baby. He will never put it at risk. ”
“If you’re with him all the time, then you know the kind of people he associates with. The men who frequent his club.”
“That’s business.”
She sighs, like I’m being na?ve, when she’s the one being prejudiced. Why is it that everyone assumes the worst in Kian when he’s done nothing to earn it? This whole case feels like a witch hunt against him. Nobody gives a fuck about the poor women. Only about ruining Kian’s reputation.
“What will it take to clear his name?” I demand.
“Finding the actual kidnapper,” she replies, a sharklike glint in her eye. “Is he sharing the progress of his investigation with you?”
“Why?”
“Look, I am not taking you off the case, but I will remind you that if you reveal anything to Kian before the investigation is over, Sahara Times will sue you for breach of contract and your career will be over before it starts.”
“I am aware,” I bite out.
“Then find out who Kian’s suspects are and bring them to me. I want to know all the information he has so far.”
My stomach knots at betraying his trust this way.
Harshita senses my dilemma, saying, “This is exactly why you keep your feelings locked down.”
“I’m sorry, but I won’t break his trust.” Shock splashes across her strict face. “I do want to help catch the person responsible. I’ll work alongside Kian and if he identifies the man first, I will share it with you.”
It was the plan anyways.
I’ve already put my relationship on the line by lying to Kian every day. The sooner the case is solved, the sooner I can confess everything to him. I also need to do it before Nathan beats me to it. Why he hasn’t yet is beyond me. Perhaps he’s regained his conscience.
“Fine.” Her features tighten before I can celebrate her acceptance. “But you won’t have a job offer once it’s over.”
Dream job or dream man?
The choice comes effortlessly and without a second thought. “I understand.”
***
I ask Seth to drive me to the headquarters of Kinetic Securities after he informs me that Kian hasn’t gone home for the day.
It’s seven-thirty in the evening as I pass security and ride the elevator to our floor. It’s completely deserted, with everyone gone home for the day. I walk faster, remembering the last time I was trudging down these halls alone after working hours.
Kian’s office is shut when I round the corner. Without knocking, I enter the spacious and masculine room. His head snaps up from his laptop. I notice the tense lines hardening his sharp features. The pensive and dark energy swirling in the air.
I knew I didn’t imagine his strained mood this afternoon!
He’s hiding something.
Could it be about the girls? Does he know the kidnapper struck again? It’s frustrating that I can’t ask him directly.
“Rainbow?” he rasps, the stormy color of his eyes settling down to one filled with warmth. “What are you doing here? I told you I’ll meet you at home.”
“Do you even know what time it is?” I tease, strutting to him.
He blinks and turns to stare at his watch. His lips part as he reads the time. He twists his chair when I stop before him. Unlike this morning, I don’t think twice before wrapping an arm around his shoulder and sitting down on his lap.
The pleased sigh that leaves him makes my heart skip a beat.
“Sorry, I got caught up with work,” he apologizes. “I’ll push our dinner reservation so we can make it on time.”
“Let’s do a rain check. I’m a little tired.”
Knowing my friend is somewhere out there, alone, hurt, no clue whether she’s dead or alive, the last thing I’m in the mood for is to go on a romantic date. Especially with the guilt I’m harboring for ignoring her request.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, love.” I lean forward and kiss his jaw, dark with day-old stubble. “How about you tell me what’s troubling you? Don’t say nothing because I can read you like a book too.”
A dark look colors his chiseled cheeks, while his eyes close briefly. Caressing my thigh as if to soothe himself, he says, “I need to tell you something, but I don’t want you to be scared.”
“Okay.” I prepare myself to act shocked since I know what he’s going to say.
“I found out this morning that two more employees have gone missing last week. One of them is your friend, Yukta.”
My stomach churns as I listen to him say it out loud. As my expression saddens and I shudder, my reaction is genuine.
Kian’s brows knot in concern as he cups my face. “I waited to tell you until I knew what I was going to do about the situation.”
“What have you decided?” I ask, curious.
“I’m involving the police—someone I trust and who would be discreet. These people are dangerous and I’m not taking any chances with them coming after you or anyone else.”
The relief that rushes through my veins is overpowering. If he does this, Harshita will realize she’s wrong about him. Maybe then I wouldn’t have to wait until the case is solved to come clean to him.
“I think it’s best,” I murmur. “What about the private investigator you hired? Will you let him go?”
“No. He’ll keep looking. Though I’m going to share all the intel he’s gathered with the authorities.”
Except I still don’t know who this person is, so I can stay off his radar. If he somehow found out about my spying, it would be disastrous. And I’m so freaking close to fixing it all.
“There’s something else too,” Kian shares tersely.
“What?”
Twisting his chair so we’re facing his desk, he clicks on his laptop, maximizing the screen he was reading. “I had the same investigator gather names of all my father’s assistants.”
“To find your mother?” I gasp, the breath whooshing out of my lungs.
“Yeah. Though I didn’t tell him the reason.”
Leaning forward, I scroll through the document. “God! How many assistants could a man possibly go through?”
How in the hell will we ever find his birth mother?
“The guy listed the year they quit or were fired. In the years before and after my birthday, these four worked for him. One died from a heart attack.”
The remaining three show no records of where they are at this moment. All it lists in the reason column is that two of them quit, while one was fired.
“Is it possible to get their pictures? There will be some similarities between you two.”
“I’ve asked the guy,” Kian replies coldly. “He’s about to send them any minute now.”
I glance at him, hating the distress marring the angles of his face. Rubbing his chest, I say, “It’ll be fine. We’ll find her, love.”
“I miss our time in the cabin, Little Rainbow.” He sighs longingly. “I’m tempted to fly you back there again.”
“Me too.” I stroke the side of his face, loving how he leans into my touch. “I know our lives have become stressful lately. But it won’t always be like this.”
He brushes my hair away. “I’ll breathe easy once I know you’re safe.”
“Nothing’s happening to me. Not when I have you protecting me.”
“We’re going on a date this weekend,” he promises. “And every weekend from now on, no matter what’s going on in our lives.”
“I love the sound of that, Kian.”
With a tilt of his chin, he seals his lips with mine and kisses me deeply. The notification sound pulls us apart. Both of us gaze at the laptop to see a new email has arrived.
Securing an arm around me, Kian clicks on it and opens the first attachment.
A grainy image pops up of a woman appearing to be in her mid-thirties at the time of her employment at Kian’s father’s firm with a round face and curly brown hair. Though pretty, she’s nothing like Kian. He realizes it too and moves on to the next attachment.
My sharp intake of breath is instant as I stare at the image with my jaw slack.
Kian tenses beneath me.
The resemblance between him and the young woman on the screen is uncanny. They have the same light gray eyes and Roman nose. She even has his dimples.
She is his mother.
And we know exactly where she is.