Page 54 of Elusive Promise

His gaze met hers. "But you do—like me."

"That's beside the point."

"I like you, too, probably more than I should."

"I could say the same thing. I don't usually trust people I don't know. In fact, I don't usually trust anyone unless I have a good reason to do so. But for some reason, you're different." She drew in a breath and let it out. "We should get going. We have a lot to do today."

He nodded. "Yes, we do." He got to his feet and grabbed her empty plate. "I'll put this in the sink, and then we'll leave."

* * *

By the time they stopped at the bookstore and picked up a poetry book, then got into the car and headed uptown, it was almost eleven. Hopefully, Ben would be home from wherever he'd spent the night. Parisa kept a sharp eye out for a tail, knowing that Jared was doing the same.

The Sunday traffic was still busy, not quite as bad as the day before, but it was typical Manhattan: too many people, too many cars.

"While I'm driving, why don't you tell me more about the Langdons, about Ben's parents?" Jared suggested.

She was glad that their conversation was all business now. Back at the apartment, things had gotten a little too personal. "Neil is an intelligent, kind man, very empathetic, and he has a dry sense of humor. He taught French, Spanish, and world history at my school. I, of course, spent a lot of time in his classes as I loved language even then."

"What languages are you fluent in?"

"French, Portuguese, Spanish, and Farsi. I'm pretty good in Russian, Chinese and Japanese, too."

"How do you do it? How do you keep all the words in your head?"

"There's a rhythm to language. It comes easily to me. I think part of why I'm so good at it is that I don't overthink it. So many languages share words that I can piece things together even if I don't know every syllable. It's like seeing five pieces of a nine-piece puzzle and being able to imagine what's missing. With language, I can do that." She gave him a curious glance. "Do you speak anything besides English?"

"I took French in high school and college, but I wouldn't call myself fluent. I can swear in Spanish and Portuguese."

"What about words of passion? Have you never wanted to tell a woman how beautiful she was in another language?"

He flung her a smile. "I usually let my actions do the talking."

She couldn't help but smile back at him. Jared had certainly charmed her with some of his actions. She'd spent too many minutes of the night before reliving their kiss and wondering if it could possibly be as good as she remembered. But the only way to find out would be to kiss him again, and that was not a distraction either of them could afford.

Clearing her throat, she said, "Anyway, we were talking about the Langdons."

"Right. Let's get back to them. You said Neil is British, but Elizabeth is from Bezikstan?"

"Yes. Elizabeth grew up in Bezikstan but went to college in London. She then became a stage actress. Neil said the first time he saw her was when she was in a production ofCats. He went to the play four times that week until he found a way to get backstage and ask her out. She thought he was insane. He knew the play so well by then, he could actually recite some of her lines. She said no at first. But Neil was persistent. He kept coming back, and eventually she said yes to a date. A year later, they married, and after she had Ben, they decided to move to Bezikstan to be closer to her family." Parisa took a breath, as she thought about their story. "Elizabeth used to help out in the drama department at the school. She'd run lines with the kids and work on the sets. Both she and Neil were very involved in the curriculum. Ben would often hang out at the school with them. He was always toddling around."

"And the Langdons' relationship with the Kumars? How did that happen?"

"Well, I think it started through Anika and Jasmine. The Kumars were very involved in their children's education."

"Did your stepfather and mother get involved with the Kumars through you and your relationship with the girls?"

"Not entirely. Mr. Kumar was the minister of commerce when my father was the ambassador. They often worked on improving trade agreements between the US and Bezikstan. We would have them over for dinner, and they would do the same, and sometimes the Langdons would be there, too. Eventually, we all became close. Everyone felt like family."

"Did you keep in touch with anyone after you left Bezikstan?"

"Anika, Jasmine and I wrote each other the first few years, but that gradually faded away. Before Friday night, it had been fifteen years since I'd seen anyone from Bezikstan, but when we came together at the party, it felt like no time had passed. When I went upstairs with Jasmine, we were the same two girls who'd once spent hours talking together. It felt completely normal. I realized how much I had missed her. We were just getting reacquainted when the air became foul. And then Jasmine was gone." She drew in a hard breath. "I need to find her, Jared. I feel a personal obligation to bring her home. I was the last one to talk to her. I heard her fears about losing herself to Westley, about giving up her life for his. I saw how stressed she was by the weight of that ring on her finger. She was both happy and sad at the same time."

Jared glanced at her, sympathy in his gaze. "I get it. This is personal for you."

"It is, and it really has nothing to do with the fact that I almost died; it's all about Jasmine. She's my friend. And she's a sweet, kind, gentle person. I wish I could be more involved in searching for her. I hate having to hide out."

"You can't help Jasmine if you're dead."

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