Last Guard (Psy-Changeling Trinity #5) by Nalini Singh

“Call Enforcement and send out an alert that he is dangerous and wanted for the murder of his father.” Lalit’s plan must be to take her out, too, then seize control of the entire Rao empire. But the instant she made his crime public, she would throw a massive spanner in the works—and might just flush him out.

Her father’s secretary coughed. “Are you sure, ma’am? This is family business.”

“I’m sure,” she said, her voice arctic. “This is my family now. If I ever need to repeat an order again, you won’t like it.”

No flinch, no reaction, but the middle-aged man began to make the call.

His cooperation wouldn’t equal a position at Payal’s side, or even in the sprawl of Rao businesses. The secretary had seen far too much and allowed far too much. Payal would never trust him.

Releasing the guards, she said, “Get out.” Safe in the knowledge that Canto was watching over her sister, she’d stand guard over her father’s corpse until the arrival of the investigators. She didn’t trust the secretary and others not to decide Lalit was the better option and attempt to help him by removing Pranath’s body.

What she didn’t do was search her father. He would’ve kept nothing on him that would give her an answer when it came to the drug. No, he’d taken that secret to the grave with him. “Bravo, Father. You won this round.” But the game wasn’t yet over.

Six more days before her tumor would begin to go active.

CANTO made sure he had Karishma and Visha on his center screen.

Around them were the feeds from the cameras in Vara. He’d also reached out to all his moles in Lalit’s camp. No one had spotted him, and the security cameras couldn’t see him, either.

Then there he was, literally smashing his way into Payal’s suite.

Payal, he’s broken through a wall into your apartment. I’m going to handle this. He’d fucking had enough. The man was a psychopath and a murderer, and Canto wasn’t about to allow him to skulk away and start hunting Payal from the shadows. Don’t stop me.

Do it, she said. I don’t want Kari looking over her shoulder all her life. That’s why he’s in my apartment—trying to find some way to get to her.

There was his 3K. Thinking about someone else rather than herself. But all that mattered was that she wouldn’t stand in his way. I need to get into your private organizer. She’d messaged him from it last night, but she hadn’t had it with her when she exited the apartment, which meant there was a high chance it was in her bedroom.

Payal telepathed him the necessary information.

“Thank you, baby,” he muttered, his fingers flying over the keyboard. “It’s time to take out the garbage.” He pinged her organizer; he’d already turned off the screen control remotely and upped the volume.

As if Payal had made a mistake and left it unlocked.

His message was simple: Hi, Didi. Payal had shared what Karishma called her, told him the import of Karishma’s chosen form of address.

Lalit spoke the same language, would recognize it.

If Payal’s brother had already teleported out, it wouldn’t work, but Canto didn’t think that was a possibility. Lalit wanted to destroy Payal—and he’d somehow worked out that Karishma mattered to her. He was in that apartment, searching.

A reply pinged on Canto’s screen: Hello, Karishma. What are you doing?

Adrenaline pumping, Canto messaged back: Waiting for you to visit. You said you’d come today.

I keep my promises. Just send me a photograph of where you are—I’ve been distracted, seem to have misfiled the image.

Canto’s lips curved. While waiting for Lalit’s reply, he’d pulled up a number of suitable images and edited out the people in them. Leaving only the location. Then he sent the message: Oh, okay! Here’s a picture. Can’t wait to see you!

A second later, he heard a step upstairs. Right where he’d wanted Lalit to ’port in.

The man had raised a telepathic shield and was moving with care.

Switching on his recording equipment, Canto turned his chair to face the door into his comm room, his mind calm and the weapon he slid into his hand as cool as glass.

“Kari, oh sweet Kari.” Lalit’s voice was singsong as he came down the stairs. “What are you doing in this place with so many trees? I’ve come to take you home, little sister.” A small laugh. “I’m going to send you to see Father.”

Canto didn’t take his attention off the door.

Lalit’s surprise at coming face-to-face not with his youngest sibling but with an armed Canto was almost comical. His eyes flared.

That single moment of indecision was all Canto needed.

Single shot. Center of the forehead.

There was no other way to win against a powerful telekinetic.

Lalit crashed to the floor, dead before he hit it, but Canto went across and checked to make sure he really was gone. “Grandmother,” he murmured, “you’d be proud of my accuracy.”

Ena had made him practice as a teen until he could shoot a fly off an apple. Today, that training had ended one nightmare for Payal. Now they had to figure out the answer to the second one—because even the Aleines weren’t magic. They couldn’t come up with answers in a matter of days.

He and Payal had to locate Pranath’s stash of the medication, buy her time.