He turned away from the window and sat on the couch with the laptop open. Four bags of Cheetos laid next to it.
“Brain food,” he quipped out loud as he tore open a bag.
An ironic smile twisted Leon’s lips. For the first time in his life, he hoped Kapoor wasn’t guilty.
Three hours later, Leon rubbed his eyes and straightened from the computer. He balled up the last bag of Cheetos and tossed it into the kitchen. It landed in the basket and he pumped his arm in satisfaction at the small accomplishment.
Now if only he’d had that much success with his research.
He’d found a website containing partial transcripts of Kapoor’s trial. Although he’d have to pay money for the entire documentation, what he’d gleaned baffled him.
Federal prosecutors had waited almost a year before charging Kapoor. They had to build a solid case. From every angle, the evidence supported Kapoor’s conviction. The damning evidence had to do with the phone calls. In one recorded conversation, Kapoor had laughed when a member of the accounting department questioned the amount of money he’d spent on personal expenditures.
“You think I can go to the awards ceremony in a Honda? I need at least a Maserati.”
Comments like that only solidified what the Feds had confirmed—Kapoor was a skunk.
The memory of Gargi’s dark chocolate eyes filled with entreaty made him look anew at the transcripts. Kapoor mentioned others were involved more than once. Yet, even when the prosecutors had questioned various witnesses, they all stated Kapoor had control of the accounts.
So, who else could have been involved?
Leon scrubbed his forehead. What wasn’t adding up?
With a harsh sound, he bounced up from the small table in the living room. Going over to the window, he looked out to see a light rain had drenched the earth. As the water fell in rivulets down the window, his hope of finding something to aid in Kapoor’s defense fell along with it.
The missing clue had to be there. He palmed his fist against his hand. Somewhere online, in the transcripts, under the carpet, it had to be there. If he found one piece of evidence to help exonerate Kapoor, then he’d personally fund whatever legal process there was to do just that. Reverse his conviction, set up a press conference, whatever he had to do.
No innocent man should have to spend even a second in prison.
A sudden thought made him frown. What in the world was he thinking? Lawyers, state lawyers with all kinds of degrees and experience, had built the case against Kapoor. FBI and government agents with access to public and private databases and records provided the ammunition needed to put this man behind bars.
What could trailer trash like him find out that all those high learned men couldn’t?
“You’re just as good as any of them.”
Tisha Gates’ words came so clear to his mind he could almost believe all he had to do was turn around to see her.
“No one is better than you. Believe it.”
Leon straightened his shoulders. He could do this. He could help prove Kapoor’s innocence. Once he did…
The phone rang. He went back over to the table and glanced down. His heart jumped up in his throat as he snatched the phone up and swiped it on.
“Hello, laal sher.”
His eyes drifted shut on the sound of her husky voice. “Bugsy.”
Who knew ‘Lyle’ could be a sweetheart name? His voice came out a little rough as he asked, “How are you?”
“I’m fine. Thank you for asking.”
He wished he could see her but he settled for, “How is your brother?”
“You won’t believe it but he’s doing better. Dr. Chalker figured out the cause of his paralysis. It was from a tick still attached to him.”
Leon’s eyebrows scampered into his hair line. “Really? I would never have guessed that.”
“None of us did. Dr. Chalker told us it’s a miracle Dev is still alive.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Tick paralysis should have caused respiratory failure. Remember when he had a hard time breathing? When I took him to the hospital Saturday, he could have been dead within hours. Usually, the effects of tick paralysis occur much sooner.”
“How much sooner?”
“Days,” she sighed into his ears. “Dr. Chalker said, quite frankly, Dev should have been dead weeks ago.”
“Weeks?”
“It’s a miracle, Leon, that he isn’t—”
Her voice broke. His heart clenched in response. If they were sweethearts, he’d rush over there and try to comfort her. He settled for words. “Don’t let the ‘what if’ bother you, Gargi. The point is God didn’t take your brother away.”
“I’m thankful. I-I love my brother very much. I’m glad he’s s-still here.”
Leon let her sniffle for a couple more seconds and then said, “How long will he be in the hospital?”
“A few more days. Although his paralysis is gone, he’s very weak. He’s been immobile for a while so his nurses are helping him to walk every hour to see if his body can relearn its motor skills again.”
“Makes sense. Based off what you told me, he wouldn’t need the kind of PT I provide.”
“Hmmm.”
They were silent on the phone for a few moments. Leon wondered if he should throw all caution to the wind and ask her if he could come over. He wanted to see her.
“With Dev in the hospital, I’ve got some time on my hands, laal sher.”
Leon grinned so hard it hurt. “I was hoping you’d say that, Bugsy. Can I take you out for lunch or dinner later on today?”
“I’d like that.” A pleased sigh came over the phone. “It doesn’t matter what time. I’ll be ready.”
“Is there any place you’d like to go?”
“Anywhere is fine. And I mean that.”
His heart almost jumped out of his rib cage. “Okay. I’ll call you and pick you up later.”
“See you later, laal sher.”
“All right, Bugsy.”
Leon threw the phone on the table and jumped up. “Yes!” Shadow-punching around the room, he yelled, “I am the man!”
Why wait until dinner? He’ll pick her up for lunch and take her to—
His foot caught the corner of the table. He futilely tried to catch his momentum, his arms flailing about. Before he could do more than gasp, he dropped like a sack of potatoes. The smack of his flesh against the hardwood floor reverberated. Sprawled out like a drunk, Leon laid there to get his bearings. He moved gingerly but could tell nothing was bruised except his ego.
“Pride goes before a fall,” he muttered as he got up slowly. He winced and then hobbled down the hall.
Dinner. Yeah, he’ll pick her up for dinner.
Gargi let the phone slide from her fingers.
A date!
For the first time in years, she was going on a date. Gargi giggled and fell back on the bed, splaying her arms and legs wide as if to encompass the entire world.
Who would have thought she would be excited, giddy even, to date a man like Leon Reckley? If someone had told her years ago she’d been in this moment, she’d laugh herself sick.
“Silly girl,” she chastised herself.
What did she mean ‘someone like him’? Someone like the man who held solid and firm when she threw herself at him in a fit of rage? A man who worked with dedication to try to make a criminal, who he believed had wronged his mother, to get better again? Someone like this unmoving force of nature who stood up to her anger when she threatened his livelihood? The same one who held her in his arms while she wept for her brother?
No, he was nothing like the men she’d met in the past. Back then, she could have cherry-picked any brand of sophisticated wealthy men. Lawyers, doctors, financiers, tech moguls, the list went on. In the end, she’d latched onto suave, debonair Rahul Khatri and had considered herself blessed.
Rahul. Her head tilted to the side.
She opened the lid to her mem
ories of Rahul with a cautious release of her mental guard. There he stood in her mind’s eyes, almost too handsome to be true. Jet black hair shining like glass in the sunlight. A brilliant white sleeveless T-shirt showing off the muscled tones of his arms and contrasting with the roasted-coffee-bean smoothness of his skin. Strong, black hair- roughened legs lightly dusted with sand. His thin firm lips curving down and his hazel brown eyes filling with regret as he broke their engagement.
The sting of his memory didn’t quite hurt as much today. Was it because of Leon?
She never thought in a million years she’d ever compare Rahul with any other man and find her former fiancé wanting. For so long, he’d been her epitome of excellence. A question she never thought of before rang in her head.
Had she made Rahul her perfect match?
Gargi sighed and turned onto her side. She propped her head onto her steepled hands. Although chosen by her father, she’d cared about Rahul. Had loved him, even before they were to get married.
Had she ever experienced a bad moment with Rahul? Gargi bit her lower lip. At the time of their engagement, they’d been living the high life. Many in their shared circles had simply envied them. Looks, brains, and money. They’d had it all.
Yet, when scandal erupted, Rahul…
The memory fluttered in her mind with the desperate wings of a bat trying to escape the light. She sat up and dragged her fingers through her hair. No use going there. Forcibly she turned her mind back on that awful day to focus on the here and now.
Leon wasn’t as sophisticated as Rahul. Beneath his façade of professionalism lurked a passionate man held in check by a powerful control. She’d seen evidence of it when he restrained himself from kissing her. Looking back, she was glad for his self-control.
Though she was happy to be going out with him, she didn’t want to confuse her already tangled up emotions.
“Don’t think so hard, silly girl,” she admonished herself once more. “Just be happy today.”
There was so much to be happy for, wasn’t there? God had answered her prayer. Dev was on the mend. Hadn’t the nurses told her he was doing better even though he was still weak? He should have been dead! Yet this morning, the nurses had reported he was on a round around the hospital ward when she called.
Soon, oh so soon, she’d find the one piece of evidence that could lead to her brother’s freedom. Then Leon wouldn’t have any doubts as to her brother’s innocence. With all his doubts cleared, who knew what could happen?
Her cheeks flamed and she jumped up from the bed. What was she thinking? They were just going out for lunch or dinner. It didn’t mean they were planning to take their relationship further.
Did it?
The doorbell ranged. With something like relief, she raced down the hall to the front door.
“Papa!” she exclaimed as she put her arms around her father’s neck.
“Beti,” he responded in a soft voice and squeezed her tight.
Then they released each other. “I didn’t’ know you were coming—”
A man came from behind her father. With a sense of déjà vu, another unfamiliar Indian man stepped from behind her father.
Unlike Aadvik, this man was attractive in a pompous way. His cinnamon brown skin had an oiled sheen to it. Impeccably dressed in black iron pressed pants and an expensive tangerine silk shirt, the man stood a foot below her. Spiked short hair, manicured eyebrows and nails, and bathed in a cloying cologne which made her want to cover her nose. An arrogant expression was painted on his face.
She already didn’t like him and they hadn’t been introduced yet.
“Beti, I want you to meet Govind Acharaya. I’m sure you already know him.”
Know him? She took another closer look while the man gave her a wolfish grin. He did look familiar but she couldn’t place him.
Her father sent a pleased smile in Govind’s direction. The short man held out his hand. “I’m used to people knowing me before I know their names.” He squeezed and held her hand. “I know you. Gargi Kapoor. Epic Cosmetics Model of the Year twice. You were on the cover of some of the most popular magazines in the country.”
At least he doesn’t sound like a bird.
“That was a long time ago.” Stepping back, she gestured. “Please come in.”
Both men walked past her. Govind’s cologne drove into her nostrils like an invisible beast hellbent on stuffing her olfactory organs with its scent. She covered her mouth and gave a slight cough behind her palm.
“You have a lovely house here.” Govind remarked. “Excellent taste.”
“Thank you.”
Gargi bit back a sigh and led them to the kitchen table. “Would you like something to eat or drink?”
Oh, please don’t let it be something I have to cook!
“Just something to drink. Anything you have is fine.” Govind flashed her another smile. At least he didn’t have two sets of teeth as Aadvik had.
She served cranberry juice to the men and then sat across from them. Govind Acharaya’s cologne filled the small kitchen in moment. His odor drenched her like heavy rain.
Desultory talked passed between Govind and her father. Content to sit in the background and drink her juice she let her mind wander. When would Leon call? Would it be later on this evening? In an hour? She glanced toward the doorway. Perhaps he was on his way now. Her heart skipped a beat at the idea. It seemed as if a hundred days had passed since she’d last seen him.
How long before he would come to see her? Anticipation bubbled through her veins.
Her father’s low laugh drew her eyes away from the doorway. Some of the buzz died away. It probably wouldn’t be the best idea to for Leon to come through that door just now. Though her father made no more mention of it, she knew he had strong feelings about what he saw.
She became aware of Govind’s stare and started. “I’m sorry. Were you speaking to me?”
“I was.” His voice had a reproachful tone and a wounded look. Gargi’s eye twitched as she fought the innate response to roll her eyes.
“What did you say?”
“I wanted to get your opinion about the show.”
“The show?” Gargi shook her head slightly.
“I’m sure my daughter is just too shy to give her thoughts,” her father interjected.
Since when? She opened her mouth to say that when she caught her father’s look. For whatever reason, he wanted her to play along. Gargi pressed her lips together.
“It’s okay if she’s shy,” Govind said to her father, as if Gargi wasn’t sitting across from him. “I tend to knock people off balance. They’re always surprised but I want honest feedback.” He turned back to her with an indulgent, patronizing smile. Gargi bit the inside of her mouth to keep quiet. “Tell me your thoughts.”
She glared at her father. She didn’t even know what show he was talking about. Eyeing the spots of cranberry juice splattered on the table, she got up and grabbed paper towel to wipe it up.
“Well,” she started as she mopped at the surface, “I think you talk well.”
Her father grunted under his breath. She cut a look at him. Well, what was she supposed to say when she had nothing to go on?
“I get that a lot,” Govind replied. “But what else?”
Floundering about, she went over to the garbage can and stepped on the small bar to lift the lid. “I think the show is a good length. Not too long and not too short.”
She sat back down as Govind responded. “I think it’s important to keep the information as succinct as possible. People’s lives are cluttered, you know? Grabbing their attention within the first five seconds is an art form. I think I do that effectively.”
“Wow,” Gargi stated, “You should be a preacher then.” She laughed at her attempt at humor but Govind’s expression showed he was not amused.
“What I do is more important than spouting off at a podium. No offense, Mr. Kapoor,” Govind said as an aside to her father.
W
hat little respect she had for Govind Acharaya dwindled away like water down a drain.
“Traffic reporting is what keeps people moving.”
The cranberry juice she’d taken a sip went down the wrong tube. Choking and coughing, she covered her mouth. Traffic reporting? This pompous duck called a ninety second traffic report a show? The way he acted, she would have thought he stood in for Anderson Cooper!
Her father came over to hit her back and ease the constriction of her throat.
“Papa? A traffic reporter?” she wheezed out under her breath in Hindi.
“Beti.” He tried to admonish her but he had the decency to look sheepish.
Gargi didn’t know how to keep her face from showing her surprise. She scanned his clothes again, noting the expensive brands she’d worn herself when she modeled. How much did a traffic reporter make to bring about such an attitude?
“Are you done?” Govind asked.
“Do you mean, am I done coughing?” Was he for real?
“Well, I just wanted to continue our conversation.”
Gargi looked back at father. If he’d removed his beard, she knew he would be red-faced from embarrassment. This was a prospective husband for her? A man so full of himself he’d didn’t even have the common courtesy to ask if she were feeling okay?
The doorbell rang and Gargi jumped up to answer it. When she saw who it was, her irritation melted away, replaced by a sweet spring of joy.
“Laal sher.”
“Hey there, Bugsy. May I come in?” Leon’s eyes crinkled at the edges.
“Of course, you can.” She stood back and let him enter.
“I was going to wait until dinner to pick you up but—” He rubbed the back of his neck and a crooked smile came to his mouth.
“I’m so glad you came now. I couldn’t wait either.” With everything out in the open, why should she hide her desire for his company? It would be similar to hiding her light under a bushel. A brilliant glow which spread throughout her. Along with that light came the feeling of rightness, of knowing being with him made sense.
His dark golden eyes took on a hue of molten gold. “Did you have any particular place you wanted to go?”
Time to Say Goodbye (Michigan Sweet Romance) Page 15
