Page 135 of Wasted Grace

“Why?”

My face is blank. I don’t wish to give anything away just yet.

He sighs, resting his forearms on his knees. “Because we’re wasting time by finding the perfect trap. We can easily escalate this and have Mehulfranticinstead ofcareful.”

“Why?”

He stares at me, eyes belying the restrained irritation. “Because!We’ve been sitting on this for months, Greesha. Mohan Bedi’s take down didn’t takethis long.”

“Mohan Bedi’s takedown didn’t dismantle their dirty little operation either. Mehul took over. Again.Why?” I give him my own raging stare.

“Because we’ve been handling this wrong. The trap needs its own trap, at this point. WeneedMehul to make this error,” he says the words as if they’re actually a valid answer.

“Why, Lakshit?” I frown.

“Behenchod!”he finally snaps. “Because...”

He shoots up, his movements jerky.Come on, Lakshit. Break for me.

“Because this has gone on too long, okay? We’ve saved way too many kids being shipped off. Andlostjust as many!”

His breathing picks up slightly but I can see his urge to not fully snap.

Then I remember his casual admission a few months ago. When he blatantly refused to care for the kids. When I learned that heknewabout Khushi Joshi.

‘Because our assignment is Mehul. Not running interference with the existing operations of his. GenVault was the asset we needed. Because we want to dismantle him. Not weaken him.’

Those were his words.

Interesting. Because he is using the excuse he once didn’t care about—to escalate the whole damn mission.

I get up too. “Really?”

A smirk crawls out as I step toward him. “Nowyou care for the kids?”

His jaw clenches but I don’t stop. “Nowyou care that we’re wasting precious time?”

He shakes his head in disbelief. As though my words are simply...inconvenient.

“Why?”

I ask again. And I watch the man I once thought I loved—at least aversionof it—completely disappear. His nostrils flare indignantly.

“Because the sooner we end this...” he grits out—stepping closer, his frame towering over me. “The sooner I get you away from this. The sooner I get you away—”

“Fromhim,” I finish for him.

I suspected he wouldn’t let me go that easily. Even if I ended things with him. He wasn’t going to let it go.

But I didn’t expect him to pull an underhanded tactic like this—to endanger someone innocent. Someone heknewI still held in my heart... after all these years.

I step back. Slowly—calmly. Then another step.

He frowns at my retreat, but I don’t give him time to speculate.

I spring one leg onto the couch behind me—gaining just enough height over his frame. And then... I do it.

I lunge.