Page 39 of Born in Sin (Phoenix #3)

Chapter Twenty

CARA

“Kabs.”

Cara held out a smoothie to Kabir who grimaced but took it without complaint. He drank half of it before he opened his eyes fully and looked over at her.

“Was it just alcohol?” she asked, sitting down across from him.

Kabir didn’t answer, his gaze on the drink she’d made him. “We do whatever it takes to take them down, right?” he said, after a moment.

“No, we don’t.” Cara shook her head, worry spooling through her. “Not at the cost of you and your sanity. Tell me you didn’t touch anything other than alcohol, Kabs.”

Kabir closed his eyes, allowing his head to fall back against the backrest of the couch he sat on. He looked exhausted but, in a way, that felt more soul deep than physical.

“Just alcohol,” he said. “This time.”

“Every time, Kabs. You know you can’t backslide, not even once.”

“Car, if I need to get any deeper with these guys, I’m going to have to meet them on their turf.”

“No.”

“I’m doing this for you,” he said gently. “You’re worth it.”

“No.” Cara shook her head. “Nobody is worth it. Definitely not me.”

Kabir took her hand, playing his fingers through hers. “You saved me once, Car. Give me a chance to save you?”

“Not like this. There has to be another way to do it.”

“Should we ask your broody lover for ideas?”

Cara shot him a death glare. “Don’t start.”

Kabir laughed, a genuinely amused chuckle. He looked like a debaucherous king lolling around on his couch like that. His entire home was over the top in an outlandish, flamboyant way that hers would never be. And yet, she felt as comfortable here as she did in her penthouse.

Her life had always been about the people, never about the places. Home had always been storm grey eyes and a brooding, serious face. Even when it hadn’t, he had still been her sanctuary. In her heart, in her mind, in her soul.

“You’re right though,” she said now, forcing the memories out of her mind. “We need him and that brain of his.”

Her phone rang, Viren Singhania’s name flashing on the screen.

“Who the hell is Viren Singhania?” Nosy as ever, Kabir peered over her shoulder like a meddling old aunty.

“Virat,” she said, shoving his annoying face out of the way with her shoulder. “Obviously I can’t save his number under his real name. And it isn’t even his real number anyway. Just a burner he uses to communicate with me. But only if it’s really important.”

“Wow.” Kabir drawled. “True love.”

“Shut up!” Cara snapped as she swiped to answer the call.

“I haven’t even said anything yet,” Virat murmured.

Her insides turned to mush the second that deep, familiar voice sounded in her ear. Muscle memory, she told herself. Her body was just used to reacting to him like that. That’s all.

“What is it?” She was just going to ignore these two idiots and rise above their aggravation.

“My team discovered some information you should hear,” Virat said now, clearly deciding to rise above her level of rising above. “Would you be free sometime today to discuss it?”

“I’m not working today. I’m free now. Where do I come? Your place?” Hers was not an option with the paparazzi constantly staked out on the road in front of it and her mother staked out on the couch in front of the television inside it.

“I have a safe house we can meet at. I’ll have someone come to your house to escort you over.”

“I’m not at home.” Cara met Kabir’s mischievous eyes. “Can you send your person to Kabir’s home instead?”

“Of course,” Virat said quietly, though the words hummed with emotion he would never ever allow himself to speak. “His name is Shourya and he’ll be there in about forty-five minutes. I’m texting you his picture, so you won’t have a problem recognizing him.”

“We’ll be ready,” she said, disconnecting and dropping her face into her hands.

“You’re evil,” Kabir announced gleefully. “Telling him you’re at my place at six in the morning is as good as telling him we’ve been banging like bunnies all night.”

“He knows we’re in a relationship. It would be normal for us to bang like bunnies.”

Kabir rolled his eyes at her before pushing himself to his feet. “If I’m going to meet Mr. Gorgeous Storm, I’d like to be dressed appropriately for the meeting.”

“Define appropriate!” Cara yelled after him.

“I’m thinking gold, sweetie. Lots of gold.”

Cara collapsed into her chair, staring up at the ceiling. Her burner phone buzzed in her jeans pocket. She pulled it out to check the message.

How do I even know it’s you? Let me meet you once.

She stared at the message for a long while, her thoughts a muddled whirl.

She wasn’t going to answer him. Not right now.

Majid could never meet Celina because Celina didn’t exist anymore.

But maybe allowing him to think he could would push him a few steps closer to that cliff she was urging him towards.

She was still mulling the issue over when Kabir stepped out of his bedroom in, heaven help them all, gold leggings and an oversized black sweatshirt.

“God save me from idiots,” she said wearily. “You need to wear something inconspicuous.”

“Nothing about me is inconspicuous,” Kabir grumbled but he went back in to change. This time around he appeared in black tracks and the same black sweatshirt.

“Thank God for small mercies,” she muttered.

“You really need to stop dragging God into all our interactions. He’s going to get tired of running interference.” Kabir grinned.

Kabir’s phone rang and he answered, his smile fading. Disconnecting, he looked at Cara. “Our escort is here.”

“Ask the security guys for a picture of him,” she replied, getting to her feet.

Once they’d verified it was the right person, Cara and Kabir allowed the man to be buzzed in.

A thin, young man with a receding hairline stepped through their door a second later. He shook hands with Kabir and folded his hands in a respectable namaste to Cara before saying, “We can leave immediately but we’ll need to leave your security behind.”

Kabir and Cara exchanged glances.

“We’re not sure that’s a good idea,” Cara began.

“Ma’am, Virat Sir has made all the arrangements.”

Shourya didn’t blink as he met her gaze. It was a bit unnerving to hold that strange, unblinking gaze.

“Well, if Gorgeous Storm made the arrangements, we should be okay right, Car?” Kabir murmured.

For the second time that morning, she shot him a death glare. “Should be is not the same as will be.”

“Ma’am.” The man who had a pathological dislike of blinking took a step forward. “If your security comes with us, it’s harder for us to travel unnoticed, especially from the press camped out on the footpath outside this building.”

Cara’s phone buzzed in her hand.

“It’s Viren Singhania,” Kabir said helpfully, peeping over her shoulder once again.

She dug her elbow into his stomach to silence the ass.

“Yes?” she snapped, the minute the line connected.

“If it’s the security thing that’s the hold up, bring them, I’ll manage it.”

His voice did the whole liquefying her insides thing again. Cara groaned.

“Fine. We’ll come without security but I swear to God, if you fuck this up-“

“Then you don’t have to look at my face for another fifteen years.”

“Fifteen years, four months and fourteen days,” she answered automatically before the import of her words hit her.

Silence, complicated silence echoed down the phone line to her.

“I’ll keep you safe, Celi,” he said huskily. “Trust me.”