The Takeover Effect

by Nisha Sharma

  “Shit day, huh?” he murmured in her hair. It smelled like kiwi and papaya, the same as the shampoo she’d left in his shower.

  “You have no idea.”

  “Why don’t you tell us about it?” Zail called out. He started digging through the plastic takeout containers until he settled on one that looked like green curry with jasmine rice. Ajay handed him a set of chopsticks and a spoon.

  “Out of all three of you, you’re the first one who should sit down, Zail.”

  He froze. “I’m not going to like this, am I?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  Hem led Mina toward the table and nudged her into an empty chair. “Start from the beginning,” he said.

  “Okay, but first, before I tell you anything, I’m going to call in my favor.”

  “Your favor?” Ajay asked.

  “Yes. The one you gave me when I agreed to keep your father’s health a secret. No matter how you feel about me when I’m finished, I need your word that you’ll help me find a way to hold Sanjeev accountable for what he’s done.”

  “Agreed,” Hem said. “I don’t like that bastard.”

  “He has something to do with the shit that’s happening at Bharat?” Zail asked as he combed his fingers through his thick beard.

  “You have to realize that not only did I not know any of you, but I had no intention of helping my uncle with his plans for Bharat.” Her voice was steady, strong even, with an underlying tone of anger, as she told them about the meeting she’d had with Sanjeev when she learned about her due diligence assignment.

  “I had every intention of remaining unbiased,” she said. “But I was going to find the mole and force Sanjeev out of his current position. Now I know that my uncle wanted me to be his scapegoat, and he planned on screwing me no matter what happened. Once I uncovered the mole, he’d frame me because I’d be the closest to the leak, and then run off with the money.”

  “You should’ve come to me, Mina,” Hem snapped, anger boiling as he realized how close she was to the reasons behind his father’s failing company. “We could’ve solved this sooner.”

  “Stop snarling at me. I did what I thought was best by agreeing to his plan on investigating your mole on my own,” she replied. “God, Sanjeev was spitting mad when I confronted him. I don’t know how, but he’s determined to ruin me if I don’t fall in line.”

  “You should’ve never gone to his office today,” Ajay said. “Your safety is now at issue.”

  “Ajay, don’t rile Hem up,” she said.

  “Oh, I’m way past riled up,” Hem said. “Serious question, what did you hope to gain when he started threatening you?”

  “I hoped to gain this,” she said and slid her phone across the table. She pressed a button on the screen, and Sanjeev’s voice came loud and clear through the speaker. If there was ever a quiet moment in New York City, it happened in that penthouse as the four of them listened to the recording.

  Hem’s anger shifted directions. Sanjeev, that rat bastard, was fucking with Hem’s family just as much as he was fucking with Mina. There was no way he’d let that happen.

  “I backed it up in a few places,” Mina said when the recording ended. “You have proof that he’s after Bharat, and I have proof that he’s trying to ruin me. However, I think we need more evidence. Sanjeev is smart. He can argue against one tape.”

  Zail stood, pulling his phone from his pocket. “I have to talk to Sahar to shut down the team and make sure all the data is secure. Damn it. Does she know that we have a breach?”

  “I couldn’t hide it. I’m usually better about that, but we were both so stunned that we didn’t have any pretenses about what was going on. She’s going to start checking for security breaches when she reaches the office.”

  “Mina, have you told us everything?” Ajay said.

  “Yes. Ajay. Zail. Hem. I can’t even begin to tell you how sorry I am.”

  “I’m not,” Ajay said. “Because of you, we’re so much closer to nailing the bastard who’s screwing with us. We also know that the board is dirty. And even if all of this doesn’t lead us to the mole, we’ll still help you hold Sanjeev accountable.”

  “Really? You—you will?”

  “Of course. But you’re the one who is going to have to report to the FBI. And I need your brain. If you help us, we’ll wrap this up faster. I hope you’re in for a long night.”

  She nodded. “I’m going to see if I have a contact at the Bureau, actually. I’ll get the ball rolling first thing tomorrow morning with them. I’m also going to start wrapping up the due diligence report. I’ll show it to you before I hand it in.”

  “Please.” Ajay picked up his phone and made a call. “Rafael? Yes, can you come to my penthouse? Confidential issue that we have to deal with. Bring your laptop. I’m sending a car for you and Tiffany. We’ll be working late.”

  When Mina left the table to get her computer, Hem followed her. “Come with me.” He pulled her down a narrow hallway.

  “Hem?” she said with a note of hesitation in her voice.

  He knew he looked angry, that he practically radiated with it. He wanted to put a hole in Sanjeev’s face and then make sure the bastard never breathed the same air as Mina again. But he had to control his fury because he had something more important to share with Mina right now.

  He ushered her into Ajay’s library filled with oak and leather furniture. When they were finally alone, he pressed her against the back of the door and dropped his forehead against hers. She let out a shuddering breath that mirrored his.

  “Are you okay?” he finally asked.

  “I should be asking you that. Don’t you hate me?”

  He let out a deep breath and braced his hands on either side of her head. “No, baby, I don’t hate you,” he said before dropping a kiss to her upturned mouth. “I’m mad as hell, at Sanjeev, at you for jeopardizing your safety, at this faceless traitor. No more secrets. We’re going to figure this out together.”

  “I can’t believe I’ve been so stupid this whole time,” she said. Her breath hitched and a single tear slid down her cheek. “Deep down I knew Sanjeev wasn’t going to give me the partnership so easily, but I still had hope. I was distracted. See, I told you! I told you that I needed to focus on work. We have to stop this. Stop us.”

  “Mina, you can’t blame us just because it’s convenient.”

  “I’m not! Can’t you see? I knew this would happen.”

  “No, you didn’t. You couldn’t have, damn it. Anyone would’ve made the same mistake. Sanjeev is your family, and despite your history, you wanted to trust him.”

  “Hem, I still think—”

  He covered her mouth with his, swallowing her protest. His heart swelled when Mina’s fingers tangled in his hair, and tugged him closer. He closed his eyes, knowing that he was so desperate for her that he didn’t think he’d ever get enough. And then, after almost losing control, he let go.

  His hands smoothed over her shoulders, her hips, trying to calm both of them from the rush of arousal. Hem still had things to say.

  “We’re a team,” he started. “We’re better together than we are apart.”

  “Hem—”

  “No. Say it, Mina. Say it, and tell me you believe it.”

  He watched the struggle in her eyes, but she finally nodded and said, “We’re a team. I believe you, Hem. It’s just that if I’d only thought a few steps ahead. This is my mother’s company and I feel it slipping away every moment of every day.”

  Hem brushed her tear away with the pad of this thumb. “Don’t worry, hiriye. You’ll still be able to keep your mother’s legacy alive.”

  “How can I after all this?” She dropped her head back so it rested against the door. “I can’t believe something so simple has become such a mess.”

  Hem thought about the report on her mother their investigators found, and he knew he couldn’t bring it up yet. Even though he’d told her there were no more secrets between them, he’d have
to wait.

  “Hey,” he said, cupping her face with one hand. “You’ll find a way to remember your mother. Who knows? You may still get the law firm. Have you thought about bringing your dad in? Can he be trusted?”

  “I—I don’t know. My relationship with him has always been confusing. I think he helped Sanjeev and Kumar take the firm from my mother, but then Sanjeev admitted today that Dad is the reason why I have a job there in the first place. After we report Sanjeev, I feel like whatever chance of a relationship I have with him is going to suffer, too.”

  Hem kissed her again, this time deepening it until she softened against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he lost himself in her scent, in the silky feel of the ends of her braid, the slender curves of her body, the lush taste of her mouth.

  When they pulled apart, they were both breathing a little heavy.

  “Come home with me after this.” He ran his hands over her hips and butt, squeezing her plump bottom until she let out a little gasp.

  “I don’t know if it’s a good idea. It’s been a long day, and with the way your brother is throwing out orders, it’s going to be a long night.”

  Hem kissed her again, this time with a hint of desperation. “We’re a team, remember? Come home with me. I want you in my bed. We have nothing to be afraid of.”

  Mina pressed her lips against his jaw. “Okay,” she said.

  The slight breathiness in her voice had him going rock hard in an instant, and he wanted to drag her home right then and there. But they had bigger issues to focus on, and figuring out the mole was becoming their number one priority.

  When they reentered the living room, Zail was putting on his shoes.

  “Where are you going?” Hem said.

  “I called the jet. By the time I get to Teterboro, it should be ready. I have to get back to California and take care of things on the West Coast.”

  He came over and planted a kiss on Mina’s cheek even as Hem tried to step between them. “Take care of yourself.”

  “Don’t push it,” Hem murmured.

  “You’re one to talk,” Zail said with a grin. “I need info by Monday. In the meantime, I’m going to find Sahar.” He waved at Ajay and slipped out the door moments later.

  “Hem, the team that we had investigating the sales division has been put on notice,” Ajay said from across the room. “I have our two lead cyber security investigators on their way here. We have six thousand employee documents to get through and that’s just in the last four months. We’re going to try to pull anything we can that is related to board members, too. If we can hack their laptops, we will.”

  Hem walked over to the dining room table and grabbed one of the remaining takeout containers that had noodles in it. He pried off the lid and put it in front of an empty chair for Mina. She surprised him when she walked over and slid into the seat he’d pulled out for her.

  “What are you guys going to do when you find the leak?” she asked as she began picking at her noodles with a pair of chopsticks.

  “We’re going to hold the bastard accountable,” Hem said. He looked up at his brother whose smile was just as grim, just as menacing. Hem wasn’t part of the business anymore, but he was invested.

  Not just for his father.

  Not only for his brothers.

  For Mina, too.

  Then, he’d go back to the law firm he built, the firm he’d come to love, and start over with his woman.

  Chapter Fifteen

  In a short period of time, Mina’s life went from a single-focused mission to a complicated mess. She usually didn’t like messes. She preferred tidy, compartmentalized living. But when she remembered the empty mugs and dirty dishes scattered among computers, charging wires, and files she’d left at Ajay’s home, she was utterly content.

  It was three in the morning when Hem unlocked his penthouse front door. They’d stayed at Ajay’s the longest. Tiffany and Rafael were the first to go. They’d helped pulling HR records and manually reviewing them for WTA ties. When Tiffany started to snore on her keyboard at midnight, Rafael escorted her home.

  The cyber forensics crew left shortly after. They were still running tests through a remote access line and had to be up early in the morning to check the results.

  Ajay was still on the phone, tablet in hand when they said their goodbyes. Mina was grateful that he’d let her help, but she’d also been ready to go. She wanted to decompress and spend some alone time with Hem. She still wasn’t sure that continuing their relationship was a good idea while Bharat’s future was at stake, but she had to learn how to trust the man she was falling in love with. If he was confident they could make it work, then she’d have to believe it, too.

  As Hem turned on the lights from the com panel, he updated Zail on the phone about what they’d reviewed.

  “The mole is good,” Hem said. “The only thing Sri found so far is malware embedded in our systems. It’s been there for about eight months, which is when we started losing sales opportunities. Now all we have to do is follow the audit logs.”

  “You still have to finish tracing large bank deposits for the Bharat employees and for the board of directors,” Mina called out as she took off her leather jacket and collapsed on Hem’s couch. “Follow the audit logs and follow the money.”

  Hem put his phone on speaker. “Did you hear that? Mina, repeat it to him.”

  She did and then added, “Also, I’m going to give you the same advice I gave your brothers. Stay out of the news while all of this is going on. I know the three of you normally stay out of the limelight, so keep doing whatever you need to so that you can maintain your privacy.”

  Zail’s laugh was clear through the cell phone. “Media coverage is for the books. The billionaire lifestyle is glamorous when there is scandal, but for the most part, we just want to talk about stock prices.”

  “Well, if that doesn’t just kill my Gideon Cross fantasies.”

  “Gideon who?” Hem said as he tugged the end of Mina’s braid. “And why does it sound like I have to kill him?”

  “Gideon Cross is a billionaire. Sylvia Day novels. Gideon owns the Crossfire building in the city, along with luxury high-rises, clubs, fitness centers, alcohol brands, resorts, you name it.”

  “He is definitely fictitious then,” Zail said. “Besides. Who needs all that when we’ve got AI technology?”

  “Sold!” Mina leaned over and pressed a kiss against Hem’s cheek.

  His expression darkened and he wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her close. Even though it was three in the morning, and Mina had been awake for twenty hours, desire wrapped around her like vine. Hem’s hand gentled and stroked down her hip, tightening that vine until she was completely focused on him.

  She reached up and ran a finger along his jaw.

  “Zail, I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” he said.

  She looked down at the phone that still rested in the palm of Hem’s hand. “Thank you, Zail. For trusting me to help.”

  “Guddia, if my brother trusts you, how can I not? Try to get some sleep. Knowing Ajay, he’s going to need all of us tomorrow, too.”

  Hem said a few terse words to his brother in Punjabi before hanging up. In any other situation, she would have laughed, but she was too focused on Hem, and on the need that was growing between them despite the late hour.

  Silence filled the penthouse. “I didn’t know you enjoyed erotic romance,” Hem said.

  Mina laughed. “You do know Gideon Cross!”

  “My legal assistant was obsessed with them a few months ago. Tell me, what part of those books did you like the most?”

  Mina wrapped her arms around Hem. “The happily-ever-after part.”

  They stood, still wrapped around each other. Hem stroked her back from shoulder blade to waist before he said, “It’s late and I know you’ve had quite a day.”

  When he’d kissed her at Ajay’s house and told her that she should come home with him, Mina hadn’t been sure if it was the
right thing to do, but the longer the night progressed, the more she spent time with him, the more she knew that she was ready.

  She needed Hem, needed to hold him and know that there was something good and right with the people that she chose to be with. She’d denied herself because she thought that was the only way she could focus on winning against her uncles. That staying away would keep her as a neutral party performing due diligence. That no longer mattered. Discovering the truth about Sanjeev had helped set her free to pursue what she truly wanted to do, and she really wanted to lie in bed with Hemdeep Singh and welcome the sunrise.

  She motioned for Hem to follow. He came to her, his eyes were those of a wild animal stalking prey. The feeling was breathtaking. They moved in silence down the hallway toward the master suite.

  Mina’s heart pounded with each step until they entered the dark bedroom.

  “Turn master bedroom lights on low ambient,” Hem said gruffly. The darkness faded to a candlelight glow. The curtains parted and the skyline, still flickering in beauty and vibrancy, stretched beyond the windows. The room smelled like Hem, heavy and rich with spice.

  When she stood at the foot of the bed, Hem took her hands in his. “You’ve had a long night. We can just sleep.”

  “No,” Mina said. “I trust you. I don’t want to wait if I don’t have to.”

  She reached for the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head, exposing the La Perla he’d bought for her after their night at the club. His gaze grew fierce and her skin heated under it.

  “You’re perfect,” he said, and reached out to brush a thumb against her turgid nipple. Mina leaned in to Hem’s touch. “I want to feel you again.”

  “Well, that’s all you’re going to see until I get a view, too.”

  One black eyebrow arched at the statement. “Is that so?”

  “Damn straight.”

  He reached behind his shoulders and yanked his T-shirt forward and over his head. Mina’s eyes widened as he exposed more deep brown skin and taut muscles. He was beautiful, with crisp chest hair that tapered over his abdomen until a trail disappeared under the waistband of his jeans.