“Don’t thank me,” Taara Auntie said. “I was the one who told them to buy the cameras in the first place. Once I spread the word on social media about the hacker, everyone wanted to help.”
“Has anyone seen Jay?” she asked. “I’ve been looking for him everywhere. I need to tell him about this and talk to him. There are things I need to say.”
“Tarun’s unloading equipment just over there.” Bushra pointed him out. “He might know.”
Zara chatted briefly with Tarun about Maria and his honeymoon and his life as a newlywed before she lost her patience and cut to the chase. “I’m looking for Jay.”
Tarun leaned against the door. “He said you were suing his company. Is that right?”
Her heart skipped a beat. How had Jay found out? “Yes. No. It’s complicated. We’re not suing his company anymore. But, oh no, Tarun. If he thinks I am . . . I didn’t think he would find out. I need to find him right away.”
“He’s at the airport,” Tarun said.
“Oh my God!” Her hand flew to her mouth. “Lakshmi Auntie was right. The three-eyed crow.” She pulled out her phone and sent Jay a flurry of messages all while running back to the van where her aunties were packing away the cameras. “I need to get to the airport. Whose van is this?”
“Mine,” Bushra Auntie said, pulling open the door. “What’s going on?”
“Jay is leaving the country. I have to catch him. I have to tell him I didn’t mean to sue his company. I need to tell him I’m sorry, that I was scared of commitment because of the divorce, that I didn’t think I believed in love, and I’m an idiot, and I love him.”
“Those are all good reasons for a high-speed chase.” Mehar pulled open the door and the aunties piled inside.
Bushra took the wheel, and Zara slid in beside her.
“Let’s rock and roll.” Bushra started the car. “If we’re fast we can have our adventure and make it back in time for dinner.”
Zara looked over her shoulder. “Does anyone have flat-soled shoes?”
* * *
? ? ?
The first time Jay was paged he thought the airport was looking for a different Jay Dayal. His name wasn’t that uncommon and it was an international airport. The second time they called his name, he noted they weren’t calling Jay Dayal for a flight, but to report to customer service. The third time, since the plane was delayed and he had nothing to do, he decided he might as well check to make sure it wasn’t him they were after.
He made his way down to the customer service desk and his breath caught in his chest. The last person he’d ever expected, and the only person he wanted to see, stood by the counter.
“Jay!” Dressed in a red and gold skirt with a matching top that left her midriff bare, her feet tucked into a pair of thick white running shoes, Zara raced toward him, heedless of the people in her way. She knocked over a paperback book stand, tipped a pile of luggage, and startled a man into dropping his ice cream cone. And still she came.
“Jay! Don’t go!”
Go? There was no going. His feet were firmly planted on the floor, his eyes locked on Zara as she flew through the airport toward him, dark hair streaming down her back. Had he ever seen a more beautiful sight?
For a moment, he thought she’d slow to a stop. They would look at each other, and she would say what she’d come to say, and he would have to respond that he was broken inside but on the mend, and he wanted her but only if she wanted him. But this was Zara. And she didn’t stop until she was in his arms.
It would have been romantic if her momentum hadn’t carried them back. He stumbled, hit a cart, and they went down in a pile of luggage and red silk.
“Are you okay?” Somehow, he had managed to keep her safe, holding her tight as he took the fall.
“Yes.” Still wrapped in his arms, she looked up. Her lips were close enough to kiss and he was tempted, so tempted to taste her once more. Was he a fool to want her even after she’d so brutally pushed him away?
After they’d stood and straightened their clothes, Jay drew Zara over to a quiet corner under the stairs.
“Why are you here?”
“You can’t go,” she said. “You can’t leave. Not until I explain.”
Hope flared in his chest and he crossed his arms to keep it in check. “I know about the lawsuit.”
“I know. That’s why I had to come. Client confidentiality meant I couldn’t even tell you Bob had come to see me. I took the case because I knew you weren’t negligent, and if I didn’t take it, Bob would have gone to someone else who wouldn’t care that there might be another culprit when there was a defendant with deep pockets right in front of them. I knew that would mean the end of your funding, the end of your dream. So I took the case to make it go away.”