Malhotra looked at Dev. "No. She would be angry. She would take it as interference in her personal life. She is fiercely independent. It is one of the things I admire most about her. It also means she does not take well to being told that the choices she makes might be dangerous."
"So you've hired us," Arjun said, "and you would prefer that she not know the full scope of what we think may be happening."
"I would prefer that she know she has additional security and believe it's a standard precaution given the political climate." He looked at Arjun steadily. "Which it partly is. It is not a complete lie."
"She'll see through a standard precaution," Arjun said. "She's not going to accept a shadow without pushing back on it."
"Yes." Malhotra looked slightly pained. "You will need to be — persuasive."
Arjun sat back. "I'll take the assignment on two conditions. First, I work my way and make my own assessments. If I conclude the threat is internal — from inside the household, or from someone close to your daughter — I report that to you and we act on it together, regardless of who is implicated. No managing of information once I've given it to you." He paused. "Second: I have to be honest with Priya. Not about everything — not about what I suspect. But about the fact that I'm there and why she should take it seriously. I won't deceive her into accepting protection she'd refuse if she understood it fully."
Malhotra studied him. "That second condition may make your job considerably harder."
"It will," Arjun agreed. "It's still the condition."
A long silence. The birds in the garden. A distant phone ringing, answered quickly.
"All right," Malhotra said. He extended his hand. "When can you start?"
"After I've met her," Arjun said. "I need to see what she's actually like before I commit to how this works."
Malhotra almost smiled. "That is probably the most honest thing anyone has said in this house in some time. She's at her office now. I can arrange—"
"Don't arrange anything," Arjun said. "Send me the address. I'll go on my own."
