Page 129 of Since You Stole My Heart

Guided by muscle memory drilled into him years ago, Dhruv twisted Viraj in a sharp, controlled arc and slammed his chest against the wall. The impact echoed through the room and a choked cry tore out of Viraj.

Dhruv pressed his forearm harder against the back of his neck, pinning him in place as he kicked out his own leg to dullthe throbbing pain. When he glanced back, the room was already in disarray.

Vihaan flung open the wardrobe, sending hangers clattering onto the floor before emptying the suitcases lined up inside. ‘Not here,’ he muttered, frustration bleeding into his voice.

‘Check the bathroom.’

‘I did. There’s nothing there. He’s not stupid enough to leave it out,’ Vihaan shot back.

They were almost out of time.

Dhruv grabbed a fistful of Viraj’s hair and yanked his head back at a painful angle. ‘Where is your phone?’

Viraj answered with a muffled curse, his body going rigid. ‘Why... why do you want my phone?’

Dhruv scoffed, pulling Viraj’s hair harder. ‘What is this, a marriage interview? I’ll ask you one last time. Where is it?’

Viraj clawed weakly at his arm as he gasped, ‘Listen, listen, what do you want? Is it money? I can give you that.’

‘Looks like we found ourselves a rich little boy,’ Dhruv mocked.

‘Yes! I can give you money. There’s gold in the bottom drawer in the walk-in closet, and cash in the drawer above it. Take it all,’ Viraj said, panic thick in his voice.

‘Maybe we should kidnap him instead. He sounds valuable. Might fetch us more than whatever’s lying around here,’ Vihaan said, slipping easily into the role of a menacing thief.

Viraj protested frantically. ‘No, no, listen. My father-in-law promised me fifty lakhs but only gave forty. He must have more in his room. It’s a floor below, room 608. Kidnap him, kill him, I don’t care. Just let me go.’

Disgust burned hot in Dhruv’s chest.

Just when you think a man cannot sink any lower.

Dhruv’s muscles burned as rage clawed its way up from somewhere deep and relentless.

He absorbed the unforgiving bite of the cycle chain wrapped around his knuckles and drove his fist into the centre of Viraj’s upper back. The force travelled up his own arm like a shockwave.

Viraj coughed violently, choking for air. Dhruv grabbed the collar of his sherwani and shoved him onto the floor, grinding bone and skin against the smooth surface. A muffled scream scraped out of Viraj’s throat.

‘Safe... inside the safe... in there,’ Viraj wheezed, struggling to speak with his cheek flattened painfully against the floor.

Vihaan was already moving towards the walk-in closet at the far end of the suite. He examined the door, then shouted, ‘I need a code.’

That brief distraction cost Dhruv an elbow to the eye as Viraj twisted out of his hold with frantic force. His vision burst white, and he barely heard his own raw growl through the sharp ringing in his skull.

Viraj drove a fist into his gut next, but Dhruv slammed his knee into his abdomen, forcing him back down. Adrenaline surged through his veins like a storm.

‘Code.’

Viraj let out a strained laugh that dissolved into a groan. ‘Fuck you,’ he spat through the cloth.

‘You’re rich, but not very smart,’ Dhruv said before grabbing his throat.

The chain around his palm dug into Viraj’s carotid artery, and his bloodshot eyes widened with primal panic as he choked out, ‘Zero... six... one... zero.’

‘Got it!’ Vihaan yelled from the closet, and a second later, metal cracked sharply against the tile.

Dhruv tightened his grip for a moment, fury surging through him at the realisation that the bastard had used Kashvi’s birthday as the code. He loosened his hand just enough for Viraj to drag in a wheezing breath.

Viraj’s voice dripped with venom. ‘You fucking bastards! You have no idea who you’ve messed with. Whoever the hell you are, I’ll find you, and I’ll make sure you regret this.’