Page 148 of Tiger's Quest
Ren and I had so much in common. I loved the way he called me little nicknames. And how he sang for me and played his guitar. I loved how he got excited about reading Shakespeare and how he liked to watch movies and cheer on the good guys. How he would never cheat, even if it was to win the girl he loved.
If I had never met Ren, if Kishan had been the one in the circus cage, I felt I could be happy with him too. But with Ren loving me and wanting to be with me, I could never be persuaded to look in Kishan’s direction. Ren filled my world even when he wasn’t here.
There were no shades of gray for Ren. He was the white cat and Kishan was the black, literally. The problem was that I just didn’t see Kishan in the same way Ren did. Kishan was a hero too. They’d both been hurt. They’d both suffered. And Kishan really did deserve a happy ending just as much as Ren did.
Behind the wheel, Kishan glanced in the rear-view mirror from time to time, watching me.
I was biting my lip, deep in thought, when he said, “Penny for your thoughts.”
I blushed and replied, “Just thinking about saving Ren.” Then I deliberately turned in my seat and napped.
When the car finally pulled into the driveway, Kishan gently shook me awake. “We’re home,bilauta.”
24
Confessions
Iwas so happy to be back home I could’ve cried. Kishan carried our bags inside and quickly disappeared. Mr. Kadam also excused himself to check with some of his contacts. Left alone, I decided to take a long, hot shower and do some laundry.
Dressed in pajamas and slippers, I padded into the laundry room and threw in a load. I wasn’t sure what to do with the fairy clothes. I decided to hang them on the veranda overnight, just to see if there were any fairies in the real world. Then I walked through the house to find out what everyone else was doing.
Mr. Kadam was in the library on the phone. I heard only half of the conversation. He glanced at me and pulled out a chair so I could sit beside him.
“Yes. Of course. Contact me as soon as possible. That is correct. Send in as many as necessary. We’ll be in touch.” He hung up the phone and turned to me.
Playing with my wet hair, I asked, “Who was that?”
“A man of my employ who has many remarkable talents. One of which is infiltrating large organizations.”
“What’s he going to do for us?”
“He will begin investigating who works in the penthouse office in the tallest building of Mumbai.”
“You aren’t planning on going there yourself, are you? Lokesh would capture you too!”
“No. Lokesh gave away more about himself than he learned of us. Did you notice his suit?”
“His suit? It looked like a regular suit to me.”
“It isn’t. His suits are custom made in India. Only two businesses in the entire country specialize in expensive suits such as that one. I’ve sent my men to hunt down an address.”
I shook my head and grinned. “Mr. Kadam, did anyone ever tell you that you are extremely observant?”
He smiled. “Perhaps once or twice.”
“Well, I’m very glad that you’re on our side. I’m impressed! I didn’t eventhinkto look at his clothes. What about the servant?”
“I have a few ideas about where he might have come from. Based on the beads, the hair, and the tattoo, I should be able to narrow it down by tomorrow. Why don’t you have a snack and head to bed?”
“I took a long nap in the car, but a snack sounds good. Will you join me?”
“I believe I might.”
I stood quickly. “Oh! I almost forgot! I brought something for you!”
I found my backpack at the foot of the stairs and also retrieved a couple of glasses and two small plates from the kitchen. I set out the plate and glass in front of Mr. Kadam and unzipped the backpack.
“I don’t know if the pastry is still edible, but the nectar should be.”
