“But this is my job.” For the first time in the years they’d worked together, Sri’s voice rose in volume. “If you don’t trust me to do it, then I shouldn’t be here.”

“I don’t trust anyone but my family,” Ajay said. And Rajneet.

Sri looked like he wanted to argue, to press the matter. Ajay was ready for him. Sri had to be dirty after all of this. And if he was, Ajay would nail Sri’s ass to the wall. He just needed to find out what Sri’s motive was in all of this.

Rafael poked his head through the door again before Sri could get a word out.

“You have a call.”

“Take a message. I have a staff meeting in minutes.”

“I know. You’ll want to take this one.”

Ajay glanced at Sri, then back at Rafael. “Fine. Sri, you can go.”

“Uh, yes sir. If we could maybe talk soon—”

“Next week,” Ajay said as he grabbed the receiver.

He waited until Sri and Rafael both had exited his office before he spoke into the mouthpiece. “This is Ajay.”

“It’s Raj.” Raj’s throaty voice gripped him like a vise. He took a shallow breath.

His blood ran hot and cold. The back of his neck prickled. How long had it been? Eight days? Ten? He was obsessed and had just come to terms with the fact that he was probably going to have to go back to her, to grovel and apologize because he wanted her in his life.

“Do you need something?”

“I apologize for disrupting you at work. I know you’re mad— I need your help. My housekeeper isn’t home, I couldn’t get in touch with Mina, and I didn’t want to bother my assistant. I gave her today off. I don’t know who else to call.”

He could hear the watery panic in her voice, and because he’d never known her to panic before, his instincts went on red alert. “Where are you?”

“I’m at my place. Can you . . . Ajay, can you come?”

“I’m leaving now.”

“O-Okay.”

The sniffle, that delicate sound of tears in her voice, had him panicking, too. Was she hurt? Had something happened to her? He had so many questions.

“I’ll be there soon,” he said softly, and hung up the call. Ajay buttoned his coat, grabbed his cell, and bolted out the door.

“Cancel my obligations for the rest of the day,” he said to Rafael as he passed by his desk. “I’ll take the staff meeting in the cab.”

“Sir, you have two with board members that cannot be rescheduled or canceled.”

“Have Dad or Bhram take them.”