Jayna being the rebel was an understatement. She’d mastered the ability to bring Uncle Ashok to the point of killing rage with just a look.
“You’ve been in Europe for the last four months. A lot has happened. You have your way of getting back at Uncle, and I have my way.”
What would she do if she knew I’d spent the last ten years of my life setting the stage for this? No. I could never let her know. Those were my secrets.
“Give me an example.”
I thought for a second and decided to tell her of the latest debacle in Uncle Ashok’s world. I was quite proud of it, and no one would ever know I was behind the leak.
“I may have let it slip to certain parties that Uncle was buying a property for his expansion project.”
“Are you talking about the waterfront project? The one the news is reporting that unless the rezoning goes through, Papa can’t build the new hotel and shopping complex?”
I gave a sheepish smile and said, “Maybe.”
The project was supposed to be the proverbial cherry on top of Uncle’s empire. An empire built on the backs of more innocent people than anyone would ever know. I’d never regret fucking with his plans.
“That would mean you contacted Nik. Since when are you and Nik on speaking terms?”
The mention of Nikhil King’s name had my heartbeat speeding up and every nerve in my body firing.
He was the forbidden fruit. The man who I couldn’t have. The link to my past. A past I could never forget and had to pretend never existed. And the one person who’d always played center stage in every one of my fantasies.
“We aren’t. I just happened to place an untraceable folder on his computer’s desktop, giving him details on available properties for a youth center and museum.”
“You hacked Nik?” Jayna shook her head. “Have you lost your ever-loving mind?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “Sanity is subjective, especially considering half of our genetic makeup and the hidden line of work I’m in.”
“Damn, girl, you have some serious balls. I swear if they think it was me, I’ll never hear the end of it.”
“Yeah, right. You’re smart, but you and I both know I’m the hacker extraordinaire out of our duo.”
“This isn’t a joke, Dani. Nik can’t get even a small whiff of who hacked him. And then there’s Sam and Rey. God, I think I’m going to get an ulcer. Dammit, they’re going to think I put you up to this, if they ever find out.” She pressed a hand to her stomach.
“You’re so dramatic. When they try to trace the person who hacked them, it will lead them into a continuous loop to servers all over the world.”
“I’m so glad you never told me about this before tonight. I would have tried to stop you.”
“And hence the reason you just found out.”
“Aren’t you even a little worried?”
“No.”
“Dani,” she said in an exasperated tone. “Sooner or later, they’ll find out. They always do.”
“We’ll cross that bridge if it happens.”
I probably should never let her know that this wasn’t the first time I’d put some information on one of the King brothers’ computers.
“Are you even listening to me? They aren’t sweet, lovable, understanding teddy bears. Hell, they’re the exact opposite.”
She acted as if I wasn’t the one who grew up with them. I knew them better than she did.
The Kings lived on the edge of polite society. They had their hands in everything and were rumored to have ties to the unsavory elements of the world, which I knew was fact. They presented themselves as real estate developers with more money than Midas. But I’d known them before they were the Kings, when they had individual names and ran the streets of the neighborhood I’d lived in as a child. When they’d been my friends, the boys who’d protected the awkward, nerdy girl who never quite fit in.
“Calm down. It’s not like I haven’t done things like this before. Hell, I get paid big bucks to hack the most impenetrable of systems.”
“Yes, but you weren’t hired to hack the King brothers.”
“That’s true. Though my usual clients are billion-dollar companies, royal houses, and various government organizations.” My answer garnered a glare from Jayna. Sighing, I set a hand on her forearm. “Jay, no one will believe Danika Dayal would have the knowledge to hack anything. I’m an art appraiser who helps you run your gallery and your father’s lackey. I’m the poor relation, taken in to keep from destitution.”
“Poor relation, my ass. You have more money than all of us.”
“Well, no one knows this.”
Over the course of the last nine years, I’d amassed a significant net worth from various jobs I’d undertaken. All of it hidden in Swiss accounts. I could technically afford to live a jet-setting life if I wanted to, but then again, I’d have to justify my newfound fortune. Something I wasn’t going to let anyone outside of my inner circle know anything about.
“Let me repeat: the King brothers aren’t just anyone. They find out things that people don’t want to hit the light of day and use it to their advantage.”
“Jay, it’s not a big deal. I promise. Stop worrying. You wanted an example of how I wasn’t Uncle’s lapdog and I gave it. Think of it this way: every time something goes wrong in his life, you can grin and think Dani may have had a hand in it.”
“This is a dangerous game you’re playing.”
“I know.” My voice grew serious. “Do you trust me?”
“Yes,” she answered without hesitation.
“Then, trust that I know what I’m doing. I’m not as weak as I let everyone believe, even you. There are reasons why I’m doing things the way I am. When I have all the pieces lined up, there’s going to be a lot of truth tea spilled. Tea that Uncle is going to drown in.”
“And Nik is part of the plan?”
“He’s…” I trailed off as my gaze locked on the very man.
He stood in the hallway outside of the ballroom with a phone to his ear. His dark, penetrating gaze studied me in a way I should have been used to by now, but always felt as if it was the first time. Everything inside me clenched in response.
Fuck.
He was gorgeous in the way that gave a woman heart palpitations, and no woman around him was immune.
Those broad shoulders and muscled arms gave truth to the rumors he spent more time than not in the boxing ring and probably meant there wasn’t an ounce of unnecessary fat on his body. Then there were those piercing almost-black eyes that seemed to see too much with a simple look. And finally, his face looked as if it had been created by the discerning eye of a sculptor’s chisel, but was the result of the beautiful union between his Afro-Trinidadian mother and Indian father.
The one thing that kept him from looking too perfect was the dusting of a beard, which only added to the unrefined edge he carried naturally. His whole aura made a woman think of all the wickedly delicious things he could do to her body.
I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to run my fingers across his jaw just once. Or to kiss those lips I’d dreamed about over too many restless nights.