you were like this at her age.”
His uncle had only seen them a handful of times as children, but Dev trusted his judgment. “Her therapist said she’s doing well, all things considered. It’s entirely possible my brother’s wild genes skipped a generation.”
“Hmph.” Adil turned the flame on the stove down. “If you think so.”
He absentmindedly grabbed another cookie and sat in Luna’s vacated seat. He didn’t really know if he was right or not, but he couldn’t stress over whether he was doing a decent job as a guardian tonight. Not when he had so many other things on his mind. “I will talk to her therapist again.”
“Good.” Adil tasted the curry he was making. “Hungry yet?”
“I’m actually going out soon.” The scent of garam masala and chili powder teased Dev’s nose. He took a third cookie. He’d have to spend a few extra minutes working out in the morning.
“Another party?”
“No, I’m meeting someone.”
Adil turned the stove off and fetched two sodas from the fridge and handed him one, popping another for himself. “You look a little pale.”
Dev rubbed his forehead. “Something’s come up.”
“What?”
“You won’t believe it.”
His uncle leaned on his elbows. “Tell me.”
Dev hadn’t really intended to tell his family any of this, but the words spilled out of him, like someone had taken that box of stuffed emotions and turned it upside down. Dev quickly recapped what he knew of the situation, withholding some details, like how the texts he’d ostensibly sent to Jia were eerily familiar. Adil’s eyes grew wider as he spoke, until they took up half his face. “Uhh,” he finally said. “Who would go to that much trouble to set you up with a girl?”
“Set me up? This wasn’t matchmaking.”
“Then what was it?”
“I don’t know.” His phone rang, and he released a gusty sigh when he saw who it was. “Thank God.” He answered. “Chandu.”
“Hello, Mr. Dixit. Chandu isn’t in yet, but since you said this was a social media issue, I thought I’d return your calls.” Chandu’s assistant had a posh and very fake British accent.
“Nandini. I need to know who has access to my accounts?” He turned slightly away from his uncle’s inquisitive and scandalized face.
Nandini made a thoughtful noise. “Chandu and I, though I do all the posting and management of your content. Why? Is there a problem?”
“That’s it? No one else?”
“No one.”
“No one else has ever had access to my accounts?” he persisted. “No intern or employee?”
“No, sir. Me, Chandu, you.” Nandini paused. “Oh, I suppose your brother, that time you were sick.”
Dev stiffened. “What? My brother?”
Her voice turned wary. “You sent me an email, remember? You had the flu, and I was off, so you asked me to give your brother your credentials so he could post some things for you.”
What? “I never did that, Nandini.”
She was silent for a second. “I’m sure I still have the email, sir. I called Rohan myself to give it to him. I remember him telling me how sick you were.” Her accent slipped, some of her native Delhi coming through.
There was no need to send the girl into a panic. “I have no doubt you do. But I didn’t send it. I have actually not been sick in years.”
Adil inched into his line of vision, clearly trying to eavesdrop.
“I’m so sorry, sir. I can assure you, if it hadn’t been your own brother, I would never give your information—”
He cut her off. “It’s okay.” How was she supposed to know that he and Rohan weren’t that close, that they’d regularly gone a year or two without seeing each other? “When did this happen? Do you remember the date?”
The date she gave him was a couple months before Rohan’s death and matched up with the date on the first message Jia had sent him.
Dev tapped his fingers on his chin. There was something else about that date, though . . .
“Next time, I will be sure to verify with you over the phone before I give your information to anyone, family or not,” she finished.
“Thank you,” he said woodenly. “Don’t worry about this. And don’t tell Chandu.”
“Yes, sir.” She sounded relieved, like she’d expected him to fly into a rage. The rage was there, for sure, but it was directed where it belonged. At his late brother.
He hung up and looked at Adil. “It must have been Rohan. They gave him my password, and the dates match up.”
“Why would he do this?”
Dev closed his eyes, remembering. “I saw him the night before.” It