Faded in to You Read online

  He had his work cut out for him. Honestly, if he failed to bring some new blood into Rajput, they were done—plain and simple. After such a security breach, everyone seemed to be on the paranoid end of things, and Ravinder knew he’d have to be some kind of Houdini to talk them into coming back or trusting again. Clueless, he muddled his way through customs, getting lost at least four times before he found the right counter. His only saving grace was the fact that he spoke Marathi and some Urdu. He placed all his travel papers inside his passport and dropped them on the counter before the agent. He figured him bumbling around would only exacerbate the situation. After Ravinder had answered a few routine questions, the man with a rather thick accent stamped his passport, put all the papers back in and handed it over.

  Ravinder exhaled hard. “Thank you.”

  He took two steps away from the counter before rushing back and smiling. “Um… Excuse me. Can you tell me where the drivers wait to pick up their passengers?”

  “Sure. You see that door with the red ‘E’ on it?”

  Ravinder looked to where the man was pointing. “Yes.”

  “Through that door and to the left. You can’t miss it.”

  “Dhan’yavāda.”

  The agent smiled. “You’re most welcome, sir.”

  Following the directions, Ravinder exited the building to an area where the drivers waited with signs. They were dressed in black suits, and Ravinder couldn’t help feeling a bit guilty. The temperature in the area was unforgiving, and he wouldn’t dream of standing there dressed like that. Ravinder knew he would die.

  He made a mental note to tip his driver a little extra.

  It didn’t take him long to locate his driver—a man who looked no more than twenty-five and more handsome than anyone had a right to be.

  “I’m Ravinder Raja,” he said, stepping forward with a wave.

  They shook hands.

  “Abhay Chetan,” the man replied with a grin. “You can call me Abi. I will be your driver while you are here in Mumbai.”

  “It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Let me take your bag.”

  “Um…” Ravinder wanted to tell Abhay that he didn’t have to, but he was so jet lagged he merely nodded and handed over the suitcase. He stashed his carry-on into the backseat before walking around and climbing into the front passenger side seat. He didn’t really feel like sitting in the back like some wealthy douchebag.

  They drove through the streets of Mumbai. A clenching feeling filled the bottom of Ravinder’s stomach. He was a world away from Bathsheba, out of the comfort of the familiar. He wasn’t within driving distance to the one friend whom he knew for a fact loved him.

  He asked Abhay to stop a few times so he could pick up a couple of things from street vendors along the way. He got some lunch for both of them, though Abhay protested vehemently. In the end, they sat on makeshift benches at the side of the road and ate and talked like old friends before piling back into the car and continuing along the way.

  Ravinder was like a fish out of water. Both his mother and father had been born in India—Kolkata to be exact—but being there was foreign to him. He spoke Urdu, Marathi and Hakka, but he was still out of his depth. Everything from the heat to the faces with hollow eyes that peered at him first with mistrust, to the temperature—all of it was alien.

  “Here we are, Mr. Raja.”

  Ravinder sighed. “Ravi, please.”

  “Ravi—we are here.”

  Ravinder grinned and turned to look at the large home before them. There had to have been a mistake. He’d be the only person staying there, so why did he need so much space?

  “This is it?”

  Abhay nodded.

  “You’re sure?”

  Abhay tilted his head. “Yes.”

  “Thank you,” Ravinder said, climbing from the luxury car. After helping Abhay take the suitcase from the trunk and grabbing his carry-on from the backseat, he tipped his driver.

  “Sir, I cannot accept all of this.”

  “Abhay, please. You said your sister’s birthday is coming up, right?”

  “Yes but…”

  “Take her to dinner,” Ravinder said. “Buy her something nice. On me.”

  “You are most kind, Ravi.”

  Ravinder’s cheeks heated. “I will see you in two days, bright and early.”

  Abhay smiled so big Ravinder thought it would swallow the young man’s face. “Thank you! I will be here!”

  Ravinder gave Abhay one final wave and watched as the vehicle exited the large black gates that closed slowly. He then turned to look up at the sprawling home before him. “Well—home, sweet home.”

  He wheeled his suitcase into the house and stopped just inside the door. The open foyer before him was gorgeous and unlike anything he’d seen before. Never in a million years had he ever thought he would live in something so beautiful.

  Ravinder removed his shoes. It was almost sacrilegious not to.

  Everything from the cool tiled floors to the dark wood trims and the golden banister leading upward in a semicircle left Ravinder amazed. The deeper he ventured into the home, the more unworthy he felt. The living room, dining room and kitchen were open. The furniture looked exquisite and expensive—from the stainless steel in the kitchen to the leather sectional sofa in the living room.

  Suddenly Ravinder was a child in a candy store. He darted around the space, touching things with tender fingertips, sniffing at spices in the kitchen, peering into the stocked refrigerator. He was enthralled by the remote that opened the entire back wall of the living room leading out to a deck and an infinity pool. The view was amazing—he could see for miles.

  A button on the control said ‘screen’ and, out of sheer curiosity, he pressed it. There was a soft sound and suddenly a screen slowly slipped from the ceiling. Ravinder assumed it was to let air in, but keep the bugs out, and he actually flailed excitedly. Shaking his head, he set the remote on the island then ventured up the stairs to the bedrooms. There were two of them, so he chose the biggest one to be his. Incidentally, that was the one with the view of the pool and the city beyond.

  Dropping his things on the floor, he flopped backward on the bed, giving his lower back a few minutes to throb in nervous excitement. His brain didn’t let him relax for long. Soon, he was up, shirtless and reading the package they’d shipped to him back in Bathsheba about the history of the company.

  Ravinder was confused. He just couldn’t get why they would use Cyprek, even after all the issues it had leading up to the very second it was to be launched. Beta testers refused to endorse the program, and some even refused to write a report on it—it was that bad. Rose Linx seemed a better choice. If they were going to go for sub-par, they should’ve just used Diablo. That software would have been a way better choice than Cyprek—anything would have been better than Cyprek. Ravinder wasn’t all that savvy when it came to software and the like, but even he knew Cyprek was a lost cause. All anyone with a brain had to do was read the newspaper or check the stocks.

  “Why didn’t you just hand over your clients’ private information to the hackers?” Ravinder muttered. “That would’ve been easier to clean up than this mess.”

  Ravinder sighed and shrugged. The software wasn’t his problem. It would be that of the chump they hired to repair Cyprek. Ravinder wouldn’t worry about that. His job was to convince people that Rajput Security was indeed secure and to invest or do business with them again. When he walked in to see Paresh in two days, Ravinder wanted to have at least an idea of how he’d begin tackling the task ahead.

  With that thought at the back of his mind, Ravinder wandered into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of orange juice from the fridge. He found a glass in one of the many cupboards and rinsed it before filling it. After setting the bottle back, he opened the blinds and let himself out to the deck. Sitting in one of the chairs, he sipped on his juice. In the end, he had a plan of attack for the night—read up on Rajput’s history, give his body
time to relax then get some sleep.

  The time zone difference alone would start kicking his ass soon enough. No need to rush it.

  But sleeping in a strange bed did nothing for his nerves or his body. Throughout the night, he was jarred awake time after time by nightmares. The first one was typical—him showing up for his first meeting with the boss and when he looked down, he was naked. The rest were much more terrifying. From getting kidnapped, to eating something he’d never tried before and getting severely ill, to getting fired—all of them shook him to his core. It was no surprise that he was up before the sun and remained on his back, staring at the ceiling until light began streaming into his room.

  Ravinder groaned as he peeled his body out of bed. It was still a bit dim outside but he wandered into the bathroom to use the toilet then brush his teeth. Once that was out of the way, he grabbed his cell and entered the kitchen to make himself a protein shake while he called Alfred and Lana. His first call was Lana, but she didn’t pick up. He checked the clock in the kitchen then mentally calculated the time difference. It would be just after dinner in Bathsheba, so Lana should be around.

  He called her back and got the voicemail again. “Hey, Lana. It’s me. I’m here. I’m safe. Just wanted to give you a call. I’ll keep my iPad handy, so if you want to Facetime… Okay, bye.”

  Next, he dialed Alfred’s cell and sipped at his shake. It tasted different from when he made it at home. Though his nightmare about getting sick reared its ugly head, Ravinder silenced it by taking a big mouthful and swallowing.

  After three rings with no answer, Ravinder hung up. He tried to quell the panic rising inside him—he was stuck a world away from home with no one to reach out to. Swallowing another sip, he dialed again and, while he waited, he dropped the phone between his shoulder and head. To keep his mind from going off the edge again, he reached for the remote to open the back wall, but kept the screen in place.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Al.”

  “Raja!” Alfred sounded excited to hear him. “I was worried. I thought you’d call when you got there.”

  “I’m sorry. The flight was really long and after I got to the house, I had only enough energy to go over a few things before I crashed.”

  “That’s okay. How are you?”

  “Is that Ravi?” Darius asked in the background.

  “Yeah,” Alfred replied.

  “Um—I’m good,” Ravinder said. “I’m glad they gave me a couple of days before I had to go in and see the boss. There’s a lot of stuff to go over.”

  “Well, if anyone can do it, you can. It’s not the same here without you, but I know this is your dream.”

  Ravinder let himself out to the deck and rested his elbows against the railing. The heat was tolerable that early in the morning, but he knew he’d spend the rest of the day in the pool. “You would not believe this house!”

  “Bad or good?”

  “Beyond good. The place is huge. I almost feel guilty being here by myself.”

  “Don’t be. You and I both know how hard you’ve worked for a chance like this. Enjoy it.”

  “So, did you and Darius pick the wine?”

  Alfred laughed. “We handed that over to Mildred.”

  “She has good taste.”

  They chatted for a while longer and when Ravinder hung up, he felt as if a weight was once again sitting on his shoulders. Loneliness was a horrible thing.

  Taking a breath, he went back into the kitchen and plugged his phone in to charge. His stomach growled. He frowned and began taking out the makings for an omelet.

  Chapter Four

  Mumbai was beautiful to look at, but the heat was ungodly.

  Thaddeus had been in the city two days and already he felt as if his head would explode. He’d never get used to how hot India could get. A few people called from Rajput, asking if he wanted to go on a hike. Though tempted to hang up on them for just suggesting it, he politely declined.

  Hiking should be illegal in India.

  He went out a few times for dinner or to watch a show and, on a couple of occasions, to see a cricket match. His brief moments standing outside, waiting for the hired car to arrive, were torture. Thankfully, at the match, they were using a VIP box and that was air conditioned, but he didn’t think he’d survive otherwise.

  Thaddeus sat in the back of the chauffeured car and straightened his tie before unbuttoning his jacket. He reached for the folder with all the information Paresh had sent him on Rajput Security. There were emails from the few shareholders who had stuck around, demanding answers and commanding Paresh to make the problems they were facing go away.

  First thing the next morning, Thaddeus pulled himself out of bed and brushed his teeth. He ordered breakfast from room service and, while he waited, Thaddeus packed his laptop and ensured he had his cell phone. When the meal finally arrived, he ate quickly, rolled the tray into the hall for the servers to get it, then he called downstairs to make sure his car was ready. He darted from the building and into the backseat.

  “I’ll never get used to this.” Thaddeus pulled on his seatbelt. “Never in a million years.”

  As they moved through the streets, he made a mental list of the places he saw that he’d like to check out at some point. From clothing vendors to food carts—all of it drew his attention. That was until his cell phone began pealing. He checked the face and smiled as he picked it up.

  “Hey, Ko.”

  “Hey, yourself. What did you do? Fall off the face of the earth?”

  Thaddeus laughed. “You would not believe this heat.”

  “It’s India in June, my friend. You take your chances.”

  “I suppose.” Thaddeus looked out of the window. “So, what are you up to?”

  “Designing the last few pieces of my new line for my father,” Ko said. “He likes a good ninety percent of the stuff I handed over so far.”

  “Dang. That’s a first.”

  “I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth,” Ko said. He sounded tired. “I’m calling because I was going to see if I could talk you into letting me visit.”

  “Any time you want,” Thaddeus said. “Just know that sometimes you’ll be alone here because work is going to be a bitch for a while.”

  “And I’m cool with that,” Ko replied. “Once I finish the last set of designs, my father will take the reins and put together the shows for the next little while. I’ll be free to finally take some time off and breathe.”

  “Breathe—and you’re choosing India?”

  Ko laughed. “You’re there, you nut.”

  Thaddeus laughed.

  The car came to a stop and he looked up at the building. He frowned. “Well, I’m at the office. Make your plans and let me know, okay? I’m thinking of getting a house or something so I won’t be in the hotel for much longer.”

  “You don’t have to get a house.”

  “Don’t be a dick.” Thaddeus smiled at the driver when he opened the door. He grabbed his bag and slid from the backseat. “Thank you,” he said, then hurried toward the entrance. “With you coming? Of course I do. Besides, the hotel is crazy expensive and I don’t feel right making Rajput pay for that.”

  “It’s their own damn fault.” Irritation was evident in Ko’s voice. “But I understand. I’ll let you know. Have a good day today.”

  “Thanks, brother. You too.”

  Thaddeus hung up and dropped the phone into his pocket just before pressing the button for the elevator. He rode it to the twentieth floor then was quickly directed to Paresh’s office. The two shook hands and Thaddeus allowed himself to fall into a chair. He set his bag at his feet and took a breath. “How’ve you been?”

  “I’m the captain of a sinking ship. Even the rats are bailing. How do you think I feel?”

  Thaddeus laughed. “Aside from that.”

  Paresh eased back in his seat and nodded. “The wife and kids are good,” he reported. “They’re growing like weeds, I tell you.”<
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  “That’s how it always is.” Thaddeus leaned forward. “So, I’ve had a look over all the stuff you sent me.”

  “What do you think? Can we fix it?”

  “I can’t in good conscience use Cyprek again,” Thaddeus said. “You have to know that. I mean, sure, I can write some new coding to give it better security, but the bones of the program are flawed. Since I can’t just go in to alter the things I really need to for it to work right, we’re going to have to start from scratch.”

  “Why not?”

  “Why not, what?” Thaddeus asked.

  “Well, you said you can’t alter the program the way you need to.”

  “Well.” Thaddeus stretched his legs out. “There are laws against that. It is someone’s intellectual property, so we can’t really mess with certain things.”

  “Shit.”

  “Yeah. And besides, if we tinkered with it, when it fails again, we can’t really step to them about it. They’ll just blame the new codes and you’ll be right back where you started.”

  “It isn’t supposed to be this complicated.”

  Thaddeus shook his head. “No, but it is. If you crash because of hackers a second time, your clients are never coming back. You’ll be done.”

  “I kinda figured.”

  “Okay? So I’m confused. Why am I here?” Thaddeus asked. “When you started, I installed Rose Linx and they had an issue with that. I could install Diablo, but it’s only a hair better than Cyprek. Diablo has its own issues. I’m not saying Rose Linx is perfect but at the same time, code is written in there to back up your system to a basic mode every two weeks. So, if you do crash, you won’t lose everything. And hacking in is more trouble than it’s worth.”

  Paresh nodded. “We had a talk and they want you to put back Rose Linx.”

  “Come on, Paresh. Don’t waste my time.”

  “Why would you say that?”

  Thaddeus sighed. “The last time I used three weeks of my life to create the system and the moment I leave, you guys took Linx off and now I’m right back here.”

  “I’m sorry about that.”