Page 91 of Elusive Promise

"He better let us in," she murmured, tapping her foot impatiently as she looked around.

He followed her gaze, feeling a bit exposed. There was still danger in the city for Parisa, and they couldn't forget that.

The front door opened again, and Mr. Bhatt waved them inside. "Mrs. Kumar and her daughter ask that you join them in the salon," he said, motioning toward a room off the main living room.

Jared wasn't thrilled with being relegated to the sitting room when he could see FBI agents, Westley Larimer, and Raj Kumar in the main living room, but maybe he'd have a chance to slip inside once Mr. Bhatt moved on to his other duties.

Anika and her mother were seated together on a gray sofa, coffee mugs in front of them, as well as a plate of untouched pastries and fruit. As Anika stood up to greet them, he couldn't help noting her immaculate appearance, the dark-green dress that clung to her frame, the high-heeled black boots, the made-up face. Kenisha, on the other hand, looked like she hadn't slept since her daughter had been taken. Her face was haggard, and her black pants and sweater were wrinkled as if she'd been wearing the same clothes for days.

"Parisa, thank you for coming," Anika said, giving Parisa a half-hearted kiss on each cheek. Then she turned to him. "We haven't met."

"Jared MacIntyre," he said, extending his hand.

"Jared is my boyfriend," Parisa put in.

"I hope you don't mind my presence," he added. "But since Parisa was attacked yesterday, I don't want to let her out of my sight."

"You were attacked?" Anika asked in surprise.

"Yes. Since the kidnapping, there have been a couple of attempts on my life. Someone is obviously concerned that I saw something."

"Which clearly you didn't," Anika said. "Or you would have told someone by now, right?"

"Of course," Parisa replied.

"I thought you said you were single," Anika continued, giving both of them a hard, questioning look.

"I wasn't sure if I wanted to get serious with Jared, but after what happened Friday night, I started wondering why I was pushing him away when life can change so quickly," Parisa explained, giving him a loving look.

She really was a good liar. But he also knew how truthful she could be.

He moved past Anika to avoid more questions and also to speak to her mother. "Mrs. Kumar? I'm very sorry about all this. I am praying that Jasmine comes home safe."

"As am I," Kenisha said, dabbing at her eyes with a well-used tissue. "Please sit down. Do either of you want something to eat or drink?"

"We're fine," Parisa said, as they settled on the couch across from the two women. "Is there anything we can do for you?"

"There's nothing to do but wait," Kenisha replied. "You heard about the ransom demand?"

"Yes, that's why I came by. I wanted to offer my support. I also heard about Ben."

"Ben," Anika said scornfully. "I can't believe he betrayed Jasmine. He let the kidnappers into the house. He knew something was going to happen to her. I hope he rots in jail for the rest of his life."

"Anika, please," Kenisha said. "We don't know the whole story."

"We know enough. And I don't know how you can defend any of the Langdons." Anika turned back to them, fury in her gaze. "Neil and Elizabeth hired an attorney and won't let Ben talk to the FBI."

"I heard that," Parisa muttered. "I was hoping they'd changed their minds. I actually spoke to Neil last night. I thought maybe I'd gotten through to him."

"I haven't heard that anything has changed," Anika said, crossing her arms. "But then, Mother and I are being kept out of the loop. Apparently, the women have no place in any of this."

"Anika, don't do this. Your father and Westley are focused on getting Jasmine back. They're not trying to punish you," Kenisha said. "And I just can't take any more anger or unhappiness today."

"I'm sorry," Anika said quickly. "I'm just terrified, Mother."

"I know," Kenisha said, putting her arm around Anika.

While the two women were consoling each other, he rose. "Do you mind if I use the restroom?"

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