Partners in Crime, page 21
He held out his hand, the twinkly gems glinting there. “If these are fake, why do you keep it in a fancy box in your office then? Next to real art?”
Wyatt sneered. “To remind myself that no one can be trusted.”
That was dark.
Isn’t that what your dad taught you too? You don’t keep a fake diamond necklace on hand to remind you of that, but you do keep all your wounds inside you.
No, she wasn’t that bitter. She trusted . . . two? Two people.
Naveen rolled the necklace in his hand. The stones caught the light like real diamonds. Mira would never have known the difference, but she didn’t exactly handle precious stones on a regular basis. “Well, where are the real gems?”
“That’s a really good fucking question. Do you know how much money I paid for these? Millions. Vassar assured me I was getting a deal.” Wyatt rubbed his hand over his jaw. “I believed him.”
Mira knew very well the hurt and disillusionment in Wyatt’s tone. She’d felt it for most of her life. “Cobra’s after us,” she said hoarsely. “Sunil told us you had the necklace, that we could steal it from you and give it back to the original owner.”
“Sunil . . . son of a bitch.” Wyatt leaned back and turned his computer on. It was angled so they could see.
With a few keystrokes, he made a phone call. Sunil picked up immediately, his face filling the screen. “Oh, hello, old friend—”
“Don’t you fucking ‘old friend’ me, you jackass. You want to explain these two?” Wyatt pointed the camera at them.
Mira gave a weak wave. Sunil sighed. “Damn, I should have known they couldn’t pull this off.”
What now?
“What the hell were you thinking? Sending Nancy Drew and a Hardy Boy to steal my shit in the middle of a charity gala?”
Mira wasn’t expecting the other man to sneer. “I was thinking you were a dick and needed to be taken down a peg or two.”
“Well, joke’s on you, I’ve been expecting you to pull a stunt like this since you helped Vassar sell me a fake necklace.”
“I didn’t! If it’s fake, that wasn’t my doing.” Sunil pouted. “And you should have known that. I was one of your best friends.”
What was it Sunil had said? That Vassar had been the Porthos to his Athos?
The Three Musketeers. She had a feeling she was in the home of Aramis. “Gentlemen,” she said softly. They stopped their bickering and looked at her. “It seems my father cheated you, Mr. Wyatt.”
“Vassar wouldn’t do that,” Sunil began, but Mira raised her hand.
“He one hundred percent would, and pretending otherwise is just enabling a dead man. He cheated, he lied, he stole, and he didn’t care who he hurt, whether you were family or lifelong friends.”
“People change, Mira. He wasn’t the man you knew.”
“Sometimes people change for the worse. See? His own daughter knew he was a cheat.” Wyatt sat back. “You took his side over mine, Sunil.”
“Because you called me a cheat as well, and I didn’t appreciate that!”
Wyatt braced his hands on the table and glared at the monitor. “I was not. You assumed I was calling you a cheat. And then I did assume you were a cheat.”
“So because of your own pride, you tanked a good friendship.”
“Because of your pride, you tanked a good friendship.”
“Seems like you’re both very prideful,” Naveen said quietly. “And hurt. And in that hurt, Sunil, you sent the two of us over purely to fuck with your old friend. I don’t appreciate being used like that.” He bit off each word, his voice rising. He flexed his fingers, and she realized that she’d dug her nails tight into his skin.
She loosened her grip immediately, though Naveen’s anger mirrored her own. “He’s right, Sunil. You knew the necklace was a fake. You deliberately didn’t tell us, even though you knew we were running for our lives. For my sister’s life.”
“That’s not true,” Sunil protested. “I assumed Wyatt must be lying, since he wouldn’t let me examine the necklace. Also, I am trying to help you! I’m holding one of your kidnappers for you, and have my men on the lookout for any associates. I wouldn’t do that unless I cared.”
“What’s this about kidnappers? And your sister?” Wyatt asked sharply.
“Cobra’s got Vassar’s elder daughter,” Sunil said quietly. “They’re holding her for ransom.”
“Oof. That sucks.”
“That’s all you can say?” Sunil sneered. “See, Mira? I’m helping you out much more than your other uncle.”
“I’m not anyone’s uncle.”
“If you were her father’s friend, you’re an uncle. That’s how we work.” Sunil leaned forward to glower into the camera. His eye patch made him appear less threatening.
“Right now, I’m not happy with either of you. Neither of you are my uncles,” Mira said.
“Look, my anger at Vassar and Sunil aside, I feel for you. But there’s not much I can do,” Wyatt said.
Naveen placed the necklace on the desk. “Don’t you want to get to the bottom of what happened? We could work together. Perhaps we can use the art in your possession to lure her sister’s captors out—”
Wyatt lifted his hand, palm out, to stop Naveen’s desperate plea. “I believe in charity, but that’s a little more than writing a check. I bought that necklace as a one-and-done transaction. I’ve already lost millions on this.”
Mira stared hard at the painting behind Wyatt’s head. The swirls of paint all came together. She was falling into them, and into a vat of despair. Instead of the old man on the canvas, all she could see was her sister. Or what she imagined her sister looked like now, an older version of the woman who had come to visit her in college.
We had shit luck when it came to parents.
When she’d been in kindergarten, all Mira had wanted to do was join the Girl Scouts. Their father had been uninterested, and their aunt had been out of town, so Sejal had gone with her to Brownie initiation day.
While Mira had recited the oath, she’d checked behind her to find Sejal beaming, eyes bright under her bowl haircut. Afterward, Sejal had wrapped her chubby arms around her neck and squeezed her tight.
“Mira?”
She shook her head and looked at Naveen. “Yes?”
“Are you okay?” Sunil asked, his tone gentle.
“Yes. Of course.” Mira pleated her dress between her fingers. “My sister is in the hands of a notorious crime lord, Naveen’s grandfather is currently being watched by one of Cobra’s minions, the two of us have spent our night sprinting through this city trying to find this necklace, and right when we thought we had it right in reach, you tell us it’s fake and there’s nothing we can do.” She nodded rapidly. “Yes, I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be fine?”
“I understand your issues, and I will . . .” Wyatt hesitated. “I was going to say think of you, but that seems cruel.”
Sunil gave a long, low sigh. “Wyatt.”
“No. I’m not doing anything.”
“I was Vassar’s friend forever, and you—”
“I was his sister’s friend first,” Wyatt said, surprising Mira.
“But you were our friend for the last ten years. We have an obligation. Vassar did love his daughters.”
Mira tried not to let her eye twitch at that ridiculous statement.
“I don’t have any kind of obligation to anyone, after he cheated me.” Wyatt crossed his arms over his barrel chest. “I’m not getting involved in blatantly illegal shit. The last thing I need is attention from Uncle Sam. I already give the man enough.”
Mira was sure his tax bracket was near or at zero, like every rich person she audited, but fine.
Sunil sighed. “I will help you two as much as I can. I can go question the man I’m holding, see if he has any more info.”
She was still pissed at Sunil for sending them here, and for his obvious huge blind spot where Vassar was concerned, but he sounded genuine, so she nodded.
Wyatt leaned forward. “You do that. We’re finished, old man.” He turned the computer off when Sunil started sputtering. Wyatt’s smile to them was sympathetic, but firm. “I hope you make it, I’m really rooting for you.”
That was a dismissal if she’d ever heard one. Naveen rose to his feet first, still holding her hand, and tugged her up. They turned away, but stopped when Wyatt said, “Wait!”
The man nodded at the necklace. “Take that worthless necklace. I didn’t suspect it to be a fake until I had it in my possession. You can try a bait and switch like Vassar did with me.”
That sounded like a terrible idea, but Naveen scooped up the necklace. “Thanks, I guess.”
“Do you really think Sunil helped my dad cheat you?” Did they need to distrust Sunil?
Wyatt paused. “I don’t know. It’s hard to separate the two of them now, in my mind, you know? I suppose I shouldn’t believe they’re both the same, but it’s hard not to.”
Mira nodded. Wasn’t that exactly what she’d done with Sejal? Presumed guilt by association? Even though her sister had been trying to do the right thing. “If you care at all about this relationship, you may want to give it some more thought. Determine if you’re reacting because you’re a generally distrustful person, or because he’s given you a reason to be distrustful.” Why she cared, she wasn’t sure. It wasn’t like she was feeling kindly to either of her father’s friends right now.
In fact, she wasn’t feeling anything. She was encased in ice, every bottle on her mental shelf completely frigid. Perhaps that was why she was speaking. So she wouldn’t break into a million pieces.
Wyatt nodded slowly. “Now, did you valet your car? Allow me to walk you out.”
Chapter Fifteen
When Naveen was young and on road trips with his family, his father had insisted on staying at roadside motels. His dad had said he’d wanted to keep them grounded, but Naveen had suspected it was partially market research. The family company owned more than one humble franchise. Generally the motels they’d chosen had been clean and safe.
The particular inn Mira and him had wound up at was at least one of those things, relatively clean. It was off the highway, with burned-out parking lot lights and a tired lobby. But the sleepy clerk had taken cash and hadn’t looked at their faces, so that was a win.
Mira had protested when he’d said they had to rest, but he’d persuaded her. He was bone-deep exhausted, bogged down with the weight of their survival, and he didn’t see how she was doing better.
Naveen pulled into the spot in front of their room and collected the Walmart plastic bags in the passenger seat. Neither of them had spoken about renting two rooms. He didn’t want to be far away from Mira.
The sound of the shower met his ears when he walked in. “It’s me,” he called out, lest she’d heard the door open.
Naveen placed the plastic bags on the table as the shower turned off. He sat on the edge of the bed and toed his shoes off. He also hadn’t thought to ask for a room with two beds. Mira hadn’t seemed to mind, but he’d sleep in the chair if need be.
Mira emerged in a towel, her hair in wet tangles around her face. Steam billowed out around her. She’d scrubbed all her makeup off, and her face was shiny and clean without it. The towel was too small, and gaped when she walked toward him, revealing a slice of soft thigh each time.
He averted his eyes and gestured to the bags. “There was a Walmart around the corner that was still open, so I got us some food and drinks, as well as some necessities.”
She poked through the bags. “You remembered my underwear size?”
His cheeks threatened to grow warm. He’d been on autopilot, and had thought nothing of tossing a pack into the cart. “Well enough. I tried looking for bras for you—”
“Regular stores don’t really carry my size.” She sat down on the edge of the bed next to him, holding the panties he’d bought. Her delicate shoulders were only a few inches from him. If he turned and pressed her down to the bed, she would go. And so would that towel.
Naveen sprang to his feet and picked up the pack of cheap boxer briefs and a toothbrush. “I’ll go shower.”
He turned the knob on the shower from hot to cold before he got in. The frigid droplets weren’t his favorite thing, but they did help cool his body.
He put his new underwear on and debated donning more clothes, but found himself apathetic to the thought of dressing.
Mira hadn’t moved except to scoot back against the headboard and stretch her legs out. The necklace lay on the nightstand next to her, winking in the light of the cheap lamp. As beautiful as her naked legs were, her drawn face killed whatever lust the shower hadn’t.
He came to sit next to her on the bed and folded his hands over his belly. “Are you okay?” It was a foolish question, given how not okay they were, but they needed to start the conversation somewhere. Mira had been distant and quiet since they’d left the Wyatt estate.
“No,” she said, quite clearly.
He nodded. “Understandable.”
“My dad double-conned a con.” Her throat worked. “Stole the necklace, ripped out the valuable part, sold it to Wyatt, who trusted him, probably sold the diamonds to someone else.”
“Yeah.” He’d come to the same conclusion.
“We have no leads on the real diamonds. And Cobra isn’t going to be happy with only the setting.”
“No.”
She dropped her head into her hands. “I don’t know what to do. I can’t leave my sister. I can’t go to law enforcement.”
He dared to stroke her hair. It was rough and wet under his hands, but as he combed through the strands, they sprang apart to form curls. She’d never worn it curly when they were dating, only straight. The only time he’d seen it like this was when she was just showered, or on the nights when she worked coconut oil through the strands. He’d wanted to massage that oil into her head for her, but hadn’t gotten the chance. “There’s another option.”
“What’s that?”
“We give Cobra cash.”
Her laugh was dry. “I’m sorry, do you have tens of millions of dollars lying around? Because I sure as hell don’t.”
“The necklace is appraised for that much. It was probably stolen to begin with and it’s not like a stolen necklace can be sold at Sotheby’s.”
“Right, so it’ll bring in much more with black market art collectors and criminals like Wyatt. I don’t have that kind of money.”
“I have a family member who does,” he said simply. “Not tens of millions, no, but a few million. If we can convince Cobra we don’t have the real jewels, and this is the best deal they’re going to get . . . they may be amenable.”
She stilled. “I can’t let you do that.”
“Why not?”
“Why not?” She stared at him. “Naveen . . . you think your mother’s just going to give you that kind of fortune without batting an eye?”
“It wouldn’t be my mom. Most of her money is tied up in equity. It would take too long to liquidate it.” He swallowed. “I would . . . I would call my brother.”
“Your brother?”
“Yes.”
Mira bit her lip. “It doesn’t sound like you’re close with Kiran any longer.”
That was an extremely diplomatic way of putting their relationship. “Well, that happens when a man runs away with his brother’s bride.”
She winced. “Understandable.”
He could hear the curiosity in the single word, though he knew she’d never ask. “You want to know what happened?”
“If you want to tell me.”
He adjusted the limp pillow behind his back. “It’s not a long story. About a year after we broke up, Hema Auntie introduced me to Payal. She was nice and kind, and she had a lot of the same qualities I liked about—” You. He cut himself off. No need to be completely vulnerable with Mira. “We got engaged quickly. And then about a week before the wedding, she called a family meeting with my family and hers. She and my brother told us that they were in love, and they’d run away to Vegas and gotten married.” He winced, remembering how his mother and her mother had exploded. He’d sat there stunned, staring at his brother. Kiran hadn’t looked at him. He’d only had eyes for Payal.
Mira drew back. “Oh no. I’m so sorry.”
He cracked his neck. “Yeah, it was pretty embarrassing. Everyone knew, of course. Her family runs in the same social circles as ours did. My brother’s into real estate, he’s fairly wealthy outside of the family business. Two high profile people.”
“I’m sorry. You must have loved her a great deal and felt betrayed by both of them.”
He scratched his neck. His heart hadn’t been broken by Payal. It had been broken by his brother. “I don’t think I loved her. Honestly, part of me was glad she ended things, if she didn’t care for me like that. Saved us both a painful and ugly divorce.”
“Then it’s your brother you’re mad at. Like I was mad at Sejal.”
“You’re not anymore?”
“No. I’ve been thinking lately that my resentment toward Sejal was partially because she was older and I was used to her caring for me and shielding me. Like, she was supposed to sacrifice her happiness for mine. But that’s not very fair, is it?”
He opened his mouth, but paused. Huh.
Had he expected Kiran to sacrifice his own happiness for him?
Sounds like you’re both prideful. And hurting. His own words to Sunil and Wyatt came back to him. “You’re very good at perspective, did you know that?”
Her breasts rose and fell. The knot in her towel was precarious. “With other people, maybe.”
“My brother’s been trying to talk to me, hash things out. Now that I know that Payal is pregnant, I’m guessing that’s why.”
“If he wants to reach out, might be worth hearing him out. But you can’t talk to him just to ask him for money.”
Naveen raised an eyebrow. “I don’t see why not.”
“For one, it’s a lot of money. Second, he’ll ask who it’s for, and then you’ll have to tell him it’s for me, and then . . . and then everyone will know about me.”
