Three hours after the most uncomfortable pre-wedding dinner on the face of the planet, I sat with my mom on a quiet bench in the rose garden of the White House.

“Are you sure you don’t want to change your mind and start drinking?” I joked to my mom.

“That man could drive a person to do it, but I have more resolve than that. Plus, I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.”

After Ashur’s statement, the evening was anything but pleasant. Minesh spent the dinner complaining about everything from the food to the uncomfortable chairs to the stuffiness of the old building. The only saving grace was when Samina and Devin arrived with their two children, DJ and Mira. The toddlers were so full of life, asking questions and requesting kisses that even the asshole cracked a smile.

However, the moment dinner ended, my mother and I escaped to the gardens, Anya and Samina left for Sam’s townhouse to put the kids to bed, and the men…well, I wasn’t sure where they’d gone. Mummy and I wanted out of the Residence so badly that we barely said our goodbyes.

My phone rang with a tone that made my stomach hurt. This was not good.

I was no longer part of this world, so why were calls still forwarded to me?

I glanced around, opened my purse, and then pulled out the mobile, scanning the caller ID.

My heartbeat accelerated.

It was Ameera’s mobile, but I knew it couldn’t be her.

God, I hoped Tyler was monitoring this call.

“Hello,” I answered, trying not to fidget as my mother scrutinized me.

“Where is my daughter?” Hamir Ustaf’s deep, agitated voice said in Urdu, a language native to the area around North India and Pakistan.

I’d grown up speaking the two languages of my parents. My father’s being Urdu and my mother’s being Gujarati, a language spoken in the Gujarat region of India. My parents had been the scandal of their age.

They’d met while studying abroad in the United States at the University of Texas. As my mom liked to tell me, one look from across their university classroom and she knew her destiny was sealed.

I’d had the same reaction to Ashur when I’d walked down the hallway of Kumar Technologies for a lunch date with my father.

I shook the thought from my mind and focused on the dipshit on the phone.

“Who is this?” I responded in English, knowing it would annoy the shit out of Hamir.

“Don’t fuck with me. That girl is my property. She was supposed to come to me, but because of you, they kept her. And now there is a third bidder.”

My hand shook with anger. I knew if I were standing I’d have swayed. This bastard had arranged for Ameera’s kidnapping. How had our intelligence team missed this? The agents who constantly watched him hadn’t picked up an inkling of news he’d been involved in the abduction.

I kept my voice cool as I said, “She is no one’s property.”

“My daughter, my property.”

“Sperm donor doesn’t make you a father. You abandoned her mother for a lucrative marriage in another country. Do your wife or heirs know you have an illegitimate child with an American model?”

“Because of you, her cost has tripled.”

“I’m not the one who expected a terrorist group to play fair when he had his biological daughter kidnapped. Did you really think I wouldn’t do everything I could to find her?”

“Drop out of the auction or I will make your life a living hell. How do you think your husband will feel when he learns your secret activities?”

“What makes you think he doesn’t know?” I glanced at my watch and then clenched my fists.

Twenty more seconds and we’d have a trace in addition to the recording of this conversation.

If I went with my first instinct, the second his location was established I’d send in the most overzealous team in Solon to get rid of the bastard immediately.

But it would cause more grief than I needed and the priority was getting Ameera back, not starting a war.

My mother set a hand on my arm, making me jump, and then glared at me.

“I’m not an idiot. A man like Kumar would never let his woman interfere in affairs that aren’t her concern.”

“Some men are more secure in their manhood than others. If you really think I’ll let Ameera go from one living hell to another, you have another think coming.”

“As I said, don’t go against me or you will be in the middle of a scandal that will ruin any chance of your husband winning reelection.”

The line went dead, and a sense of anxiety hit me.

God, please keep Ameera alive until we can get her out.

I sent my prayer to heaven, stood, and turned to my mother.

“I’m sorry, Mummy. I need to make another call.”

She frowned and then nodded.

I dialed Tyler’s number. The second he came on the line, I said, “Tell me you got the trace.”

“No. Only the recording.”

My heart sank. I knew it was too good to be true. I hoped luck would throw us a bone and a trace would lead us directly to Hamir but it wasn’t in the cards.

“Any luck with your leads on locating the package?”

“Nothing yet but I’m following a few leads.”

I pushed down the disappointment. “Tyler, she’s been missing too long.”

“You think I don’t know this?”

“I’m sorry. I’m worried.”

“Forget about it. Just make sure the money goes into the account by the end of this coming week.”

“Already scheduled.”

“Tara, you didn’t have to marry Ash for his money. He would have given it to you regardless of whether you married him.”

I winced. “That’s not the only reason for this.”

“I know the reason. Do you?”

“Leave it alone.”

“I can’t do that. I wouldn’t be a friend otherwise. You know Ameera would agree. We’ve kept each other accountable for years. I won’t stop just because she isn’t here.”

“I can’t right now, Ty. Let it go.”

“Fine. I’ll see you tomorrow when I transition to my groomsmen’s duties.” He hung up.

I took a deep breath and returned my attention to my mother. There was no hiding my agitation from her, and I was pretty sure she’d caught some of my conversation with Hamir.

The best course of action was to pretend all was good and hope she believed me.

“Where were we?”

Mummy frowned, looked around, and then said in Gujarati, “No more adventures. You hear me.”

I was in deep shit.

“Yes. I hear you,” I responded in Gujarati.

“I want a few answers, and then I won’t ever ask about it again.”

I sighed and then nodded. “Go ahead.”

“How long have you been doing this other job?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“When did you stop practicing law?”

“I never stopped, Mummy.”

“How did you get that scar on your shoulder?”

“I fell.” How was I going to say someone tried to punch me, and when I tried to avoid the blow, I tumbled into a shelf?

“Are you going to give me a straight answer to any of my questions?”

“I am giving you the information I can.”

Mummy growled and folded her arms across her chest. Oh shit. She was pissed.

“Are you planning to have children?”

“Yes. Within the next two years.” It was a condition of the contract, but I kept that information to myself.

“Tara, I will never forgive you if you leave any children you have without a mother. You are done with this life that makes it necessary to have a gun on you at all times. Am I making myself clear?”

Well hell. She knew about the piece I tended to carry the majority of the time.

“Yes, Mummy.”

“Does Ashur know?”

“That I carry a gun? Probably not.”

That was the wrong thing to say because her eyes grew angry. She opened her mouth to give me a piece of her mind but shut it as she caught sight of Ashur coming outside with my father and Devin. At least Minesh wasn’t with them. Thank God for small favors.

“We will continue this discussion later.”

“Yes, Mummy.”

I had no fear she would say anything to anyone. My mother would step in front of a bullet before putting my life in danger or causing me any more scandals than the ones I tended to put myself in.

Mummy stood and said in English, “Did you come to enjoy this beautiful summer night with us?”

“A man had to be insane not to want an evening with the two beautiful women he loves,” my dad stated. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Absolutely,” Ashur said as he watched me with a predatory gaze.

He took my hand in his and pulled me to my feet. A wave of need pulsed to life, and the anxiety of my conversations with Tyler and Mummy disappeared from my mind.

I wanted this man with a desperation I’d never felt for anyone else.

“I’m counting the seconds, Tara.”

My heart skipped a beat, and I licked my now dry lips, knowing without a doubt that I was in deep trouble…and not because of my secrets.