The Final Storm

15. Into India!

Oh my God. Have I been infected by my brother?

After a moment, she quickly shook her head. No, surely not! She was just anxious about James. She definitely wasn't going to become a time-obsessed workaholic! She would make sure of it!

Now, enough time wasted! She had to get to work right away!

Slipping on her dress and shoes, Adaira hurriedly buttoned up and strode forward to push open the door...

"—no way! There's no way you can persuade me to do this!"

...only to be faced with a strange scene. Lilly was slowly retreating away from her brother, and he was advancing on her, like some kind of wicked villain who wanted to take advantage of a helpless damsel. When they noticed her, they turned around, eyeing her with funny expressions on their faces. Well...Karim and Lilly had funny expressions on their faces. Her brother had no expression on his face whatsoever, but that was normal. What was less normal was what he was holding in his hand. Were those...black bushes?

"Ah, Adaira." Nodding, her brother stepped forward. "You came just at the right time. I need your help with something."

For some reason, at those words, Lilly retreated a few more steps and hid behind Karim, who seemed to find the whole situation supremely amusing.

"Help?" Adaira blinked, taken aback. "What do you need me to do?"

"It's simple." He raised his hands, and the black thing in his hand unfurled. Only then did she realise what it truly was. "I want you to put this on."

"Err...no. No way in hell!"

Behind her brother, Adaira saw Lilly's shoulder sag in relief. Truth be told, she couldn't blame her. That thing was not a beard, it was a monstrosity of massive ugliness! Never in her life would she put on something like—

"It will help save Captain Carter."

—on the other hand, never mind.

"Of course! I'm happy to help!" Snatching the fake beard, she plastered the thing to her face and struck a pose. "How do I look?"

"Horrific," her brother instantly answered.

Adaira speared him with a look. "How did you find a wife again?"

"Why don't you ask her herself?" he gestured at what was visible of Lilly's figure behind Karim.

To be honest, Adaira really wanted to. But, right now, there was a more urgent matter to discuss with her sister-in-law. With a pleading expression on her face, Adaira turned to Lilly.

"Lilly, could you..."

"Absolutely not!"

On second thoughts, maybe the pleading expression would work better without the fake beard plastered to her face.

Heck! Now it's too late anyway.

Stepping forward, Adaira clasped her hands together.

"Please?"

"No!"

"Please, Lilly? For me?"

"No!"

"But if this is the only way..."

"No! I've done a lot of things to dress up as a man. I've tied up my kettle drums, I've stuffed my trousers with socks. But I will not wear a beard bigger than Karim's. That is my bottom line."

"But..."

"And don't give me those puppy-dog eyes! It's not going to work."

"Really?" One corner of Adaira's mouth quirked up. Immediately, she stepped a little closer, widened her eyes in innocence and did her very best impersonation of a puppy dog.