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I cast a pointed glance towards her bedroom.
“Right,” I drawled.
She clenched her fists and glared at me, her chest rising and falling rapidly with the force of her fury. She had never looked more beautiful. I had to look away lest I take a step towards her. One step. That’s all it would take.
I took in a deep breath and then another, trying to calm the beast. The last thing she needed right now was for me to make a move. Besides, Sona would coldcock me with the vase on the console table by the door if I messed with her cousin.
She stepped up to reason with Tasha and I went back to her bedroom to see if I could pick up any clues.
Samar’s team was at work, dusting for prints and taking photographs.
“They haven’t found any prints except Tasha’s,” murmured Samar.
“The asshole was wearing gloves,” I said with a sigh.
That pointed to something more than a prank. It pointed to premeditation and malice.
“Did you talk to her, DV? She’s not safe here.”
“I know that! But how do you reason with someone as stubborn as Tasha?”
“Fine. In that case, I’ll post two men here around the clock. She’ll be covered 24/7,” he replied, with a sigh.
“No way! I refuse to live like a prisoner again,” exclaimed Tasha, as she entered the room.
“Tasha…” I began, but she whirled on me angrily.
“I’ve had security all my life, DV. And they couldn’t keep me safe when it mattered.”
My heart skipped a beat at her words. She had hinted at something similar earlier.
“What do you mean?”
Her eyes were little icicles as she stared me down.
“I mean exactly what I said. I refuse to stay in Nagaur House. Even for a day.”
“No! What did you mean by saying you weren’t safe there?”
“That has nothing to do with the matter at hand,” she said shortly and turned away from me in clear dismissal.
A wave of fury rose in me and I made a move to go to her, but Tasha wrapped her arms around herself in a protective gesture that made it clear she didn’t want me touching her. It took all my restraint to not grab her anyway. I needed to hold her. But what I needed wasn’t important right now. What mattered was what Tasha needed.
I had been betrothed to this woman for twenty-five years, and we had spent so much time together over the years, but right now, it felt as if we were strangers. Something had happened to her in her childhood home, and the possibilities made me quite sick. Had someone abused her? Why had her family not kept her safe? What use was their security team?
“Talk to me, Princess,” I said gently, and she flinched a little.
Her shoulders hunched up and her fingers clenched around her arms hard enough to leave a mark. Then she took a deep breath and turned around. She met my eyes scornfully, every inch the proud Rajput princess.
“I have nothing to say to you, Your Highness, except that I don’t need you or your army of guards to keep me safe. I can take care of myself.”
There was a soft knock, and the front door swung open slowly. A woman poked her head around the door and stared at us in surprise.
“Is everything okay, Tasha?” she asked.
Tasha smiled at her reassuringly.
“All good, Sandhya.”
