The Deadly Match

by Kishan Paul

Although the list of resources was impressive, it was clear she couldn’t provide him the answers he needed. He picked up the image of Wassim from the pile. “Before I make a decision, I need a face-to-face with this operative and the ASHA team lead.”

  She waved away his request as if swatting a fly. “The Secretary General of Interpol has worked closely with ASHA and is impressed with their skill and integrity. They’re Indian nationals who work heavily in eradicating the organized trafficking groups down there. They’ve built a reputation for their work, which is also why they have bounties on their heads. It’s for their and their family’s security that they stay invisible. I give you my word he is trustworthy.”

  “Your word?” Eddie asked. “More than half of the officials involved with Wassim have deep pockets he pads with wads of cash, or are too scared to do their fucking jobs, or both. According to your own estimation, there are moles in all the agencies involved. I won’t risk my team or Alisha’s life on people I have zero information on.”

  Her red-tinted lips tightened in a straight line while he dug his heels in. “Alisha has already agreed.”

  “You asked for our help. We possess the ability to make this situation better or worse for you and Interpol. Seriously consider how you want to play this.” He stared her down. They both knew she needed him and his team. It’s the only reason she sat across from him.

  Finally, she gave him a slight nod. “I’ll get you in touch with their lead once you give me a yes. As far as the operative, Mudir recently identified and executed two of their best. Hence, the reason why this one’s identity has to stay classified. We can’t reach him even if we wanted to.”

  “It’s a non-negotiable,” he replied. “Notify the NGO that any help we provide is contingent on these meetings happening.”

  She shook her head. “They are not going to be on board with compromising their operative. I can’t promise anything.”

  “Then we’re done.”

  Their gazes locked, each challenging the other for dominance until, finally, she let out a long, exaggerated sigh. “I’ll make a call as soon as you leave. In the meantime, here.”

  She pulled out a burner phone and laid it on the rubber-band-bound stack of passports and papers on the ottoman. “If you decide to move forward with us, you’ll need these: new IDs, tickets, and other essentials for both of you and for Alisha. You’ll arrive in New Delhi in three days at seven in the morning. Go to the hotel we’ve reserved, and someone will be in touch with further details. If for some reason you decide not to work with us and go at this alone, I suggest you avoid taking Alisha through any of the Mumbai airports. Wassim’s expecting her and has eyes in all of them. They’ve been looking for a woman matching her description since he sent in that kit. And understand, a man’s life is at risk. I suggest you choose wisely who you share this information with.”

  Eddie inspected the documents. Everything Kerry said solidified what he already knew. Alisha needed to stay the hell away from India.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  REUNIONS

  Ally sat in the center of a small hotel sofa with her mother and father on either side of her, each gripping one of her hands in both of theirs. Positioned at her feet was her baby sister, whose cheek currently rested on her knee. Her big brother made himself comfortable in the hotel’s armchair, facing her. They’d been together for over two hours, and in that time, generous doses of hugs and stories had been shared as well as an unending supply of tears.

  The emotions they experienced cycled through grief, relief, anger, joy, and regret. Through the whirlwind of feelings, Ally felt totally and completely immersed in their love. They had been her world until the day David died. His loss changed her perspective on life, on them. Their affection, the very love she once believed healed her wounds, had suffocated the very life out of her. And now, having lived an eternity without them, she knew differently. Since going in to hiding, she’d become the caregiver; a job she took willingly and never resented, but in this moment, she was the one being cared for. How long had it been?

  Attached to her hip was the woman who accepted a four-year-old orphan into her heart and home. She gripped Ally’s hand, refusing to let go even to wipe away the stray tears that still slipped down her cheeks, as if afraid Ally would disappear if she released her. She’d lost weight, spoke less, and appeared frail, more anxious. An overwhelming desire to take care of her mother filled her. Not sure how her story would end, she leaned over and kissed her mother’s cheek.

  She inspected Pappa. In contrast, he seemed to have put on the weight her mother lost. It looked good on him. His round head was for the most part hair-free, aside from the two-inch strip of gray that arched over one ear and wrapped its way around the back of his head and over his other ear.

  Reya, her little sister, showed the telltale signs of exhaustion most mothers of six-month-old babies carried. Deep circles under her eyes. Her hair had lengthened, and mixed in with the thick black strands were deep brown and copper highlights. The edges of her face had softened from the few pounds of pregnancy weight she hadn’t yet shed. All of it made her look more beautiful, more adult than Ally remembered.

  She admired the pictures of her niece on her sister’s phone. “She looks like you with Parker’s eyes.”

  “We named her Davina after David.” Rey continued through the images of her baby. “It means blessed.”

  Ally blinked away the emotion and smiled. “He would have loved that.”

  “I never believed you were dead,” Rey announced. “I knew you’d be back in her life. But she’ll never meet Big Dave, and this way she’ll hear his name every day.”

  She gazed at the image of the sleeping child dressed in a pink tutu with a matching headband. “I miss him.”

  Rey rested her cheek on Ally’s lap and sniffled. “We do too.”

  The room fell silent, everyone in their own thoughts until finally Bhai brought up the elephant in the room. “You don’t have to go.”

  He rose from his seat and paced the small strip of space in front of the coffee table. “Why not stay here? Let Eddie do his job. I have friends over at Johns Hopkins who specialize in Pediatric Oncology and blood cancers. A few of whom helped develop the haplo-identical transplant. I can make calls and get your son in with them—”

  “No matter how good they are,” she interrupted him, “they can’t do anything without a half-matched donor. Which his father is. I am the only person Wassim will come out of hiding for.”

  “I’m the only person,” Bhai repeated as he shook his head. “It’s always the same, isn’t it? This ‘I’m the only person’ mantra you keep saying over and over again. Back when they first tried to rescue you all those years ago with Sayeed, it was”—he put his hands in the air making quotation marks—“‘I’m the only person that can help the boys.’ Then again almost three years ago, it’s the reason you let us believe you were dead. And now, here it is again. Each time, we’re the ones stuck on the losing end. It’s our hearts that break.” Anger colored his face red as his voice rose. “We are the ones left to figure out how to pick up the pieces without you. Look at them.” He waved a hand at her parents. “They haven’t moved from your side since you walked in. They can’t stop touching you. Rey’s practically sitting in your lap.” Bhai pressed his palm to his chest. “While you’re off doing whatever it is you think you need to do, we’re all here, and we’ve always been here. You know what else ‘you’re the only person’ for? You’re the only person who keeps hurting us over and over.”

  “Nikhil, you’ve said enough,” her father snapped.

  “No, Pappa, I haven’t. Not near enough. This”—he spread his hands out in their direction—“is not a happy reunion. Yes, your baby is back, but she’s not staying, and there’s a good chance we will once again be living a life without her. I’m tired of watching her break your hearts, and I’m tired of having to take care of you when she abandons you.”

  His words sliced through her because they w
ere the truth. She gave her parents’ hands a squeeze before releasing them. “You’re right, Bhai.” Ally rose to her feet, made her way around her sister to him. “I can’t argue with any of what you said. I haven’t put you first. I’ve chosen others over my family every time. You don’t deserve this, and I don’t have an explanation for you that would ever justify the pain I’ve caused.”

  Hurt flashed in his eyes. “Then stop doing it.”

  “I can’t. Jayden needs—”

  “His mother,” Bhai snapped. “He needs you to take care of him while he’s sick. Not to live the rest of his life wondering if you’re dead or alive. You’re about to do to him what you keep doing to us.”

  She flinched at the accusation. “Do you think I want to go? No. I don’t want to leave him, and I never wanted to leave you. But more important than my being around is for my child to have a chance for a healthy life, and I will do whatever I need to do to make that happen.”

  “When you get killed, what healthy life will he have? Who will take care of him then? Us? Is that why you’re here?”

  Bhai’s words stabbed at her, but she didn’t argue. She was the reason he was hurting, and after everything she’d done, he had the right to be angry. “No. There are people who will take care of him if I don’t come back.” When she reached for him, he tensed. Ally ignored his reaction and wrapped her arms around her big brother and hugged him close, feeling the strain in him ease under her touch. “I missed you and thought about you all the time, but this reunion was not by my choice. Eddie did this. I had no idea you were here until he opened the door and pushed me inside. If I had known, I would have never allowed it. There are risks involved in what I am about to do, and it would have been selfish of me to put you through that kind of pain again.”

  “I’m so mad at you.” Bhai let out a breath and returned her embrace. “You know what the messed-up part is?”

  She shook her head.

  “That as much as I want to walk out the door and tell you to go to hell, I can’t.” His voice cracked, along with her heart. “Because I’m terrified I might never see you again.”

  She didn’t look up at him. She didn’t want him to see the tears streaming her cheeks.

  “I’m glad Eddie set this up.” Rey pressed herself against Ally’s back, and her arms wrapped around both siblings. “He’s a smart man. He’s cognizant of how much we mean to you. This will guarantee you don’t do anything stupid.”

  “What he did was not fair to any of you.”

  “It was very fair.” Her father pressed his palm over her wet cheek. “You…are alive. The knowledge that you still walk this earth gives me a peace I haven’t had in a long time.”

  “Di, you’re still the strongest person I have ever met. And Bhai is right. You don’t put us first. You haven’t in a long time. But after all these years, the one thing I understand and love about you is that you will fight for whoever needs you. Just promise me you’ll come home. None of us wants to move on without you anymore. Davina deserves to know who her massi is. But…” Rey sniffled. “If you don’t come back, I promise you, we will be Jayden and Razaa’s family, because they are just as much ours as you are.”

  Anger at Eddie for setting up the meeting brimmed within her. Mixed in with that emotion was shame and sadness for once again hurting her family, making it hard to meet their gazes. “None of you deserve any of this.”

  “We don’t.” Bhai grabbed her face and made her look at him. “You don’t deserve this either. But Rey’s right. Regardless of what happens out there, we will take care of Jayden and Razaa.” His emotion glistened against his cheeks. “I would just really like it if you were with us too, so that all our girls would grow up understanding who their aunt was. Do what you have to do to come back to us.”

  Long after she’d said goodbye to her family and they’d left, Ally found herself back on the sofa, but this time alone. A sense of calm blanketed her while they surrounded her, and now after they’d gone, the peace continued to soothe her. Saying goodbye had been hard, but the visit had also been healing. If things did work out, having them in her and her boys’ lives would be the kind of blessing she thought she’d never get.

  Her calm ebbed at the sound of the beep on the other side of the door when someone’s keycard tapped against the sensor. Eddie entered and shut the door behind him. He stayed by the threshold, crossed his arms, and stared at her. She was no stranger to the look. He gauged her mood, trying to determine if it was safe to approach.

  He craned his neck, surveying the area. “Where’s Razaa?”

  “He showed up here a little while ago and is now escorting my family to the car.” The image of her son surrounded by her parents and siblings gave her peace. “Reya named her baby Davina after David.”

  He flashed a lopsided grin. “I once dated a girl with the same name.”

  She shook her head, not allowing him to change the subject. “You’re a smart man.”

  He took a step forward. “For dating a woman named Davina?”

  Ally raised her brow but didn’t respond.

  He moved closer and stood behind the armchair facing her. “So, you’re not angry?”

  “No, I’m not.”

  Relief flashed across his face.

  “Because now I know that no matter what happens in India, Jayden and Razaa will be taken care of. They have a family here. One who will love them if I can’t. And I have you to thank for this gift.”

  He let out a breath. “Then I’m not as smart as you think because that was not the intent of this reunion. Those boys already have a family. You. There should never be a question of whether you’ll be around to raise them. What you should do is stay here with your family, the people who love you, and let me do my job.”

  Ally rose to her feet. “I can’t stay, but I do plan on coming back.”

  “Why come back when there’s no reason to leave in the first place?”

  “There is one. His name’s Jayden.” She lifted her travel bag from the floor and slipped the strap over her head and across her chest. “Wassim took the swab test and left me a note. I don’t have an answer to why he did it. Could he care enough about his sick son to risk getting arrested? Maybe. Crazier things have happened, right? Or maybe he’s hoping it will make me get on a plane and fly down there. Probably. If so, he’s right. It will.”

  Eddie’s brows drew close, and he shook his head. “You showing up in Mumbai guarantees—”

  “My showing up”—she flashed him her palm before he could talk over her—“means not only will you get Wassim, but that Jayden will get the transplant he needs. It means we can all finally live a free life with no more hiding and no more lies.” She smiled at the life she described. It validated she was doing the right thing. “Like I said, I plan on coming back here when it’s all done.” She adjusted the strap and approached him. “Which is why I give you my word I will do whatever you tell me.”

  He didn’t move from his spot behind the armchair. “If I told you things have become more complicated. That the safeguards I thought I had in place for you are turning out to be shit. Which to be honest, they have. That I can’t keep you safe anymore, would you reconsider this trip?”

  She took in the way he gripped the headrest of the chair he stood behind and the sincerity in his voice. She moved toward him, stopping only when the seat of the armchair hit her ankles. “Then I would reconsider it. I’d even tell you to not take me.”

  The eye roll he gave her made it clear he didn’t believe she’d give in that easy. “But then, as soon as you left”—she patted her purse—“I’d use the passport and visas and get there on my own.”

  The sound of his teeth grinding filled the otherwise silent space. “You just promised me you would do whatever I told you to do. You also told me you trust me to keep you safe. I’m telling you to trust me and not leave the country. I can’t protect you.”

  A few strands of her hair had gotten stuck under the strap of her purse. She pull
ed them out and rested her hand on the bag. “Then don’t try.”

  The spot between his brows turned red. With Eddie, it typically indicated anger, but it wasn’t anger she sensed in him.

  “But you’ll go anyway.”

  She nodded.

  “At least give me some time to get things ready for you.”

  The corner of her mouth lifted. “We both know that’s just a delay tactic. So, no. No more time. I am going today.”

  He slammed his eyes shut. “Why do I always have to be the asshole?”

  “Because you try to do the right thing no matter how hard it is.” As much as he drove her crazy, Eddie was not a bad man. The choices he made, the actions he took, were all geared at protecting her. “Of all the people in my life, Eddie, I trust you most.” Ally squeezed his hand. “If you think you can’t protect me, I believe it to be true. So, don’t try. You take care of what you need to do, and don’t worry about me.”

  “Take care of what I need to do.” His gaze dropped to her hand which sat on top of his. “Stop protecting you.” He slipped his palm out from under hers. “You think it’s that easy?”

  He moved out from behind the armchair and approached, not stopping until his face was so close to hers that his breath warmed her skin. “Have you asked yourself why it is I keep risking everything, my life, my career for you?”

  His proximity, the intensity radiating from him that made him shake… Neither intimidated her. It had the opposite effect. It made her want to move closer to him. She smiled at the reflection of herself in his hazel eyes and placed her palm on his chest. “Because you are a good man with a good heart.”

  The heat of his laugh hit her cheek. He grabbed her hand which gripped her purse and tugged at it until she released her hold on the bag, placing it on his chest with the other. When his gaze fell on her mouth, she inhaled a breath filled the woodsy mix of leather and eucalyptus. The scent warmed her lungs and made her mouth water. Although familiar with the way Eddie smelled, it wasn’t something she’d ever given much thought to. Just like intimacy with him was not an activity she’d ever considered, and yet, as his mouth inched closer, she found herself wondering what it would feel like to press her lips against his. The prospect heated her skin and had her pulse rising.