Page 53 of The Matchmaker

The call ends. My heart lodges in my throat. Another stroke? It has to be.

“I have to go,” I tell the team. “Family stuff.”

Genevieve grabs her keys. “I’ll be right behind you.”

“What? No.”

“Your security detail starts in the morning,” she says. “You need coverage in the meantime.”

“Genevieve, you’re working on no sleep as it is. And food is on its way.” Before she can continue, I remind her, “I already shared my location tracker with all of you—you’ll know where I am. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

I squeal out of the parking lot. Khala’s been racked with guilt about forgetting Lilah. Stress can trigger just about anything with her. Including strokes.

Please be all right,I silently pray as I pull into Khala’s driveway, as I race up the steps. Breathing heavily, I fling open the front door and toss my purse on the nearby ottoman. Still gripping my keys, I hurry to Nina. She’s in the family room with her arms crossed, her mouth pressed tight. Lilah hugs me, and I at last exhale when I spot Khala. She’s over by the television. I can’t make out her expression, but she’s standing. She’s okay.

“Lilah, can you go upstairs and brush your teeth? I’ll be there in just a second,” Nina tells her daughter.

Once the bathroom door swings shut upstairs, I turn to my cousin. “Nina, you made it sound like a life-or-death emergency. What happened?”

“Whathappened?” Nina repeats.

My head throbs from sleep deprivation, hunger, and confusion. I don’t have time for her passive aggression.

“When were you going to tell me about the missing couple?” Khala asks.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

“Wh-who told you?”

“Are you not following the local newsat all?” Nina asks. “This was airing when I called you.”

She flips on the television in the family room and unpauses the frozen image. A reporter holding a microphone looks straight into the camera. She’s in front of a sprawling home in what the lower third identifies as historic Brookhaven. My heart sinks. That’s Lena’s parents’ home.

“While Officer Delray provided no comment, we can confirm from a neighbor that the abandoned vehicle found off the highway tonight did indeed belong to Lena Kamdar. There was, however, no sign of Lena or her fiancé, Tanvir Bashir. Based on evidence collected at the scene, inside sources can confirm that foul play is suspected.”

Nina flips the television off.Foul play is suspected.I knew this. Of course I knew this. A billionaire influencer doesn’t go missing on the eve of her wedding because she decided to go off the grid. Still, the confirmation leaves me woozy. I’m certain Tanvir didn’t do it, but it’s clearsomethinghas happened. They’re in danger.

“How could you keep this from me?” Khala asks.

“I—I didn’t want to add more to your plate.”

“Is the Piyar agency not my business as well?” Her voice rises. “I am still a partner, am I not? I should not have to learn about this from the local news.”

I sink into the sofa. The room is spinning. I don’t have it in me to defend myself.

“Nura.” Khala sits next to me while Nina hovers over us. “It’s been clear to me that you have been preoccupied for some time. Do you think I do not notice the circles under your eyes? Your clothes are practically hanging off of you. I think it’s time for you to finally tell me what is going on.” She places her hands on mine. “Sweetheart, I need to know everything.”

Maybe it’s how she’s looking at me. Like I’m seven years old again. Maybe it’s because I’ve barely slept in forty-eight hours. Whatever it is, the words come tumbling out of me. I leave nothing out about the mehndi. Tanvir’s father’s high-pitched plea for aid. The gossip echoing off the walls.

“Nura.” Nina covers her mouth with her hand. “This is serious.”

“There’s more.”

I tell them about the note. The canceled wedding. The podcaster. All descending on me at once. And…

“Gertie’s missing.” My voice cracks. “The front door was open…. I don’t know for certain if it’s related. My front doorwasfinicky. But we haven’t found her yet. I’m so sorry, Khala. For not looking out for her the way she deserved.”

When I finish speaking, I feel shaky. The room is silent. Khala is a ghostly shade of white. She grips the edge of the seat as though she might pass out.What was I thinking?She wasn’t having a stroke before, but she might now. I start to minimizewhat I said, but what she says next erases those words from my mouth.

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