“Haider will handle it,” I tell her. “You don’t need to worry.”
Relief washes over Esha’s face as she gives a small nod. The moment she turns to leave, her gaze flicks to Haider, lingering for a beat before she pulls it away and walks out.
The second she’s gone, I turn to Haider. “Give them the access.”
He doesn’t like that. “You’re letting them in?”
I set my glass down, my gaze fixed on his.
“If we refuse, they’ll smell something suspicious. And I don’t want Siya Vardhaan’s dogs sniffing too close to me.”
Haider narrows his eyes in understanding as I continue.
“Give them access, but code blue only.”
He nods. Code blue in our language means limitedaccess. Enough to keep them occupied, but not enough to see behind the curtains I’ve drawn here. Giving me a tight nod, he walks out, leaving me alone with the silence again.
I reopen the iPad, the screen lighting up as Parag Reddy’s face stares back at me. Siya Vardhaan is promised tohim? I let out a humourless laugh. She deserves someone far better than this snake. No wonder she’s against this alliance. But that won’t change anything. If Siya refuses, therewillbe war.
My hand curls into a fist before I can stop it. Why the hell does this it prick me so much? Whether she marries him by her will or by force… it shouldn’t matter to me. Siya Vardhaan is notmyconcern. The more I stay out of this, the safer my past remains. The safer Shivtara Valley remains. The safer RK Estate remains.
*****************
Midnight
It’s a full moon night. I’m standing a little away from my villa at the very top of RK Estate, looking down at the terraces of vineyards and guest cottages spilling across the mountainside below.
Sleep is a luxury I haven’t earned in years. I take a long drag from my cigarette, holding it for a few seconds before exhaling, trying to ease my restlessness. Usually, it works. Inhale, exhale, measure the world in slow pulls until the beast inside me quiets down. But tonight, the beast is roaring for a different reason. It isn’t fuelled by rage or memory of my past.
It’s her.Siya Vardhaan.
My thoughts keep pulling me back to the woman who dared to lie to my face today. Every piece of information I’ve uncovered about her has only unsettled me further, something no one has ever managed before. Just then, my phone vibrates, and Haider’s name flashes on the screen. He never calls at this hour unless something’s wrong.
“She’s not in her room,” he says, the moment I answer.
A rush of heat flares inside me. My instinct had already warned me this could happen.Siya running away again. This time from RK Estate.I just didn’t expect it to happen so soon, not within twenty-four hours of her check-in.
“Explain,” I say sharply, flicking the cigarette aside and crushing it under my heel as I head for the villa.
“She climbed down from the balcony of her cottage ten minutes ago,” Haider replies. “Stepped over the railing and disappeared into the shadows behind the cottage. That side isn’t covered by external cameras. Our men are already sweeping the area.”
“Seal the exits,” I snap, quickening my pace. “Lock every gate, every service road. Check the staff quarters and storage shed. Everything. Run the perimeter cameras again and find the blind spots. No one leaves or enters without my say. I don’t want her off this property, Haider.”
“Copy that,” he replies.
“If the Vardhaan men get a wind of this before we find her, we have a different war on our hands. They cannot know she’s missing until we get her back.”
“They won’t,” he assures me. “Since she didn’t leave through the cottage door, they think she’s still inside. But if we don’t find her by morning, there could be trouble.”
“Siya Vardhaan is trouble,”I mutter, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. “Find her. She shouldn’t have gone far. Keep eyeson every vehicle within a twenty-kilometre radius if needed. I’m on my way.”
I hang up and move towards my Villa. Just as I’m about to step inside, a movement catches my eye. To the side of the villa is my private car shed, a wide steel-shuttered garage where my vehicles are parked. Tonight, the shutter is half open, though it’s completely dark inside. I even hear a faint sound from inside the shed.
My instincts sharpen instantly, the old predator waking beneath my skin. I reach behind my back, my fingers brushing against the handle of the hunting knife tucked into my waistband. If someone is hiding in my garage at two in the morning, they’ve either made a very foolish mistake or a very dangerous one.
The moment I step inside, looking for the intruder, there’s a slight movement behind me…too closefor my liking. I turn quickly, my hand closing around a throat, my fingers locking tightly as my palm presses into a windpipe with enough pressure to make a man go limp. I slam whoever it is against the concrete wall, my knife a heartbeat away from making a decision.
But the moonlight filtering through the half-open shutter illuminates the face I’m seconds away from harming. And suddenly, the world tilts beneath me.
