The darkness of the night surrounded me from all sides. The winds were slapping me, growling in my ears. Twigs, trying to grab my hair and ankles, scratched my skin, leaving red marks as if they had been whipped. My heart was racing, but the place wh... The darkness of the night surrounded me from all sides. The winds were slapping me, growling in my ears. Twigs, trying to grab my hair and ankles, scratched my skin, leaving red marks as if they had been whipped. My heart was racing, but the place where my heart should have been in my chest felt empty.<br /> <br /> With ragged breaths, I was running barefoot through the black forest. I had no clothes on my body. My pulse was roaring like a lion in my ears. Wood chips and pine needles were piercing my soles. Twigs were striking my bare skin. Suddenly, an exposed root hit my shin and I stumbled. The forest's screaming silence and the dark night were terrifying me. Somehow, I regained my balance and started running again.<br />
Page 1 of 20
The darkness of night had surrounded me. Winds were growling in my ears, buffeting me. Twigs, trying to grab my hair and ankles, were scratching my skin, leaving red marks as if I had been whipped. My heart was pounding furiously, yet my chest felt hollow.
With ragged breaths, I ran barefoot through the black forest. I wore no clothes. My pulse roared like a lion in my ears. Thorns and pine needles pricked the soles of my feet. Twigs struck my exposed skin. Suddenly, a protruding root hit my calf, and I stumbled. The screaming silence of the forest and the dark night terrified me. Somehow, I regained my footing and ran again.
Behind me, the heavy, masculine footsteps echoed, growing faster with every moment. A low growl emanated from my pursuer, and in the terrifying silence of the forest, I could clearly hear the sound of his breath.
That savage beast was mere inches behind me.
Feeling him close, a shiver of fear ran through my body. In moments, he was so near that his hot breath fell on my neck, and his fingers brushed my long hair. Any moment now, he would grab my hair and throw me to the ground.
I screamed with a choked voice!
My body trembled violently at the mere thought of his touch. Now, any moment, he was about to catch me.
But suddenly, fear filled me with so much energy that I began to run faster than before. Just like a car that suddenly speeds up when its petrol is about to run out, but this speed lasts only a few seconds.
I dodged left and right between the black trees and shadows, running and screaming.
Twigs, tearing at my face and bare body, tried to push me back, as if they too were slaves to the person chasing me. Even the winds of the forest seemed to be trying to help him catch me.
He was close. I couldn't see his face, but I could clearly sense his anger, his hatred, and… and his devilish intentions.
It felt as if my most terrifying fear had come to life and stood before me.
I crouched between two trees and darted to the left with a jerk. I was searching for an open space. The sound of his footsteps was getting closer and closer. My heart was pounding. My muscles were screaming, and my core was rigid. I was forcing myself to run; otherwise, my legs had no strength left.
"If I reach an open space, I might be saved," I thought.
"Then perhaps I can escape from the clutches of this beast. Yes, this is the only way."
I kept running, my breath coming in gasps.
"Look ahead. Don't look back. Swallow your fear. Run, run."
Something sharp cut the sole of my bare foot.
I screamed, stumbled, but regained my balance. Uff… I narrowly escaped. The distance between us was perhaps less than a second.
Then I felt his momentary touch on my back, and before I could increase my speed, the grip of his iron-like hand tightened on the back of my neck.
"Oh God…"
My eyes bulged. My throat choked before I could scream. A hot, iron-like arm wrapped around my body. He jerked me, pulling me close to his bare skin, and then threw me to the ground. His weight pressed me so hard to the earth that pine needles dug into my entire body.
Every molecule in my body exploded like a bomb. Every nerve screamed. My breath was choked, and I felt an internal pain as if I were being thrown into a fire.
His firm grip on my neck and his skin against mine was excruciatingly painful. He wasn't strangling me but digging his nails in. I screamed and tried to thrash my limbs, but it was no use. He rubbed his lips against my ear and said, "Escaping me is difficult…"
I sat up, panting. My breaths came in ragged pieces. I held my neck with both hands and kicked away the blanket with my feet.
The room's hum echoed in my ears.
I swallowed the dryness in my throat and blinked at the faint pre-dawn light coming through the window. My pulse was still screaming in my veins, and I blinked, looking around the room.
The forest had disappeared.
The darkness had lifted.
I had come back from the dream to reality.
Yet, in the depths of my heart, the struggle of that terrifying pain was still alive.
I swallowed again and closed my eyes. One hand was still on my neck, and I gently stroked it. I felt a strange burning sensation, as if it were still held in the grip of that searing hand. My body was drenched in sweat, even in the coolness of the air conditioner.
Slowly, my heartbeats subsided, and the sweat made the goosebumps on my skin feel cold.
My choked throat opened up, and only then did I feel some relief.
A faint glimmer of light appeared on the horizon, but the sun was still far away. I looked at the clock on the nightstand.
It was four minutes to five.
To be continued…
I exhaled, wrapping my arms around myself. This wasn't the first time I'd had a nightmare.
They happened often, and usually, I saw myself in fatal accidents. Sometimes drowning, sometimes hit by a truck, sometimes falling from a building. But in none of the dreams had I ever seen a person, an animal, a devil, or whatever was chasing me in the dark.
I sat with my brows furrowed. I had set my alarm for 7 AM. That meant about two hours from now. But from past experiences, I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep after such a bad dream.
For the first time, I had seen something that had shaken me to my core.
My eyes wandered around the room. With the faint morning light, I could make out the furnishings of the room. The entire room was gleaming white. It felt as if I had stepped into a showroom. The room was cool and had been thoroughly sanitized.
I had been studying at a university abroad for two years, and I had no idea who had given my room this look during that time.
It certainly wasn't my dad's doing.
What interest could someone running a criminal empire possibly have in interior design?
Perhaps it was my stepmother, Shre...Shre...Januja Ji. She had erased every trace of me from the room. Because that was her favorite pastime. Erasing my history gave that woman immense pleasure.
My thoughts shifted to my dad's head housekeeper and the chief of all servants, Sahana. But then I brought it back to my stepmother.
Changing the deep blue to white and tearing up my favorite actors' and actresses' posters could not have been anyone else's doing but hers.
I had been home for a month and was in the process of implementing my plan to make my room look exactly as it did before. I was searching for the posters I had put up on the walls before leaving. I had even started cutting out magazine clippings to stick around my desk. I just wanted to infuriate that woman who had made my memories in this room disappear like horns on a donkey's head.
But the past month had passed in a haze of uncertainty and sadness.
After my father's death, returning to his mansion felt like being in a foreign land.
We were never close. And I always knew I was second place in his life. First place was his work. And I'm sure if I had asked him, he wouldn't have hesitated to say his work was above me.
But still, the grief of losing parents is always the same. It takes time to overcome.
My gaze fell on an object placed on the side table.
It was the only thing that made me feel a sense of belonging in this bedroom. A framed photo of my mom and dad. I had taken it when I was nine years old, during our trip to Paris. Those were amazing moments for us because it was the first time Dad was in public. He and Mom were standing near a glass pyramid. Dad didn't know how to smile. His face was always covered in the snow of the Himalayas. Even in the picture, he looked cold. But Mom's smile filled the entire photo with radiant light. It was as if Dad's face was also bathed in radiance because he was standing next to her.
I ran my fingers over Mom's face. Her death, four years later, still stung just as much.
Just then, the phone screen lit up, and my mind snapped out of my mother's memories.
Lyra had sent a text. She used to be my roommate at Harvard.
Happy birthday, Rumi! Hope your day today is better than better. I'll be available every second for you, call whenever you feel like it!
My lips curved into a smile.
Well, at least there was one person in my life who remembered today.
Until a short while ago, Lyra and I lived in the same room. We used to annoy each other and have a lot of fun. She had become my best-ever friend. Then I suddenly had to return for my father's funeral. But she kept calling or messaging me daily to check on me.
For the first time in my life, I had found a true friend. Because for the first time in my life, I had stepped out. But now I was back in that world where I, Tanya, wasn't me, but someone else.
Not Tanya Rao, the promising student of Harvard University.
But the version of Tanya I had tried to bury during my two years at university – my dark side. My shadowy truth.
Here, I was Tanya Rao, the mafia princess!
Tanya, who was soon to enter mafia politics because, with my father's death a month ago, I was now the official next candidate for the throne of the Rao Organization. The criminal empire that my grandfather once managed.
This was enough to fuel my stepmother's bitterness.
I hadn't been officially declared the new in-charge yet, but it was going to happen soon. My grandfather had appointed some advisors during his lifetime, who were called the 'High Council'.
Since my grandfather's time, the council decided the next leader. And according to the laws of the Rao family, girls were always presented with only one decision – the decision of marriage.
To be continued….
I had to get married so that my husband could come and manage this criminal organization.
This is why after Nanaji's demise, Papa was in charge, not Nanaji's own daughter, Lakshita.
This is how the Rao Organization worked. It has always been a male-dominated organization. It's not that I had any problem with it because I had nothing to do with my family's criminal organization. But ever since my marriage became an issue, I have been having problems. Marriage was at the bottom of my life's list. I didn't want to get married right now, but now I have a burden on my head.
I took a deep breath. I had lost sleep at five; I had been sitting on the bed, engrossed in thoughts ever since, but now it was time to get up from the bed. I checked Lyra's text for the second time and smiled again after reading her 'Happy Birthday.'
Today, I was officially twenty-two.
Although I had to celebrate my birthday alone or with the house staff because Januja Madam had gone to Paris for some work.
Her sudden decisions seemed mysterious to me.
That's when my eyes fell on the book I was reading last night. When I was hurrying to pack my belongings to return home, Lyra had gifted me that book. The book had the story of Harriet Quimby, the first female pilot to fly over the Thames, and I really liked the story.
I started from where I had left off. But even in that excellent book, I couldn't concentrate and closed it again.
This time I got up from the bed and went to the wardrobe to choose a good dress to wear.
I wasn't expecting anyone else in this house to remember this day, but let them go to hell. I didn't care who remembered or who didn't. I just had to wear my favorite dress and celebrate the day with myself.
Finally, I found my favorite jeans and t-shirt.
I threw them on the chair when my eyes fell on a ring-shaped silver necklace. This small silver chain necklace my dad had given me on my birthday four years ago. At that time, Mom had left the world. A piece of a broken puzzle was hanging in the ring, which was in the shape of a heart, and Dad had told me emotionally for the first time that he had given me this puzzle-heart chain because I was 'a lost piece of his heart.'
Today, while wearing it again, I remembered Dad. I slowly put it on my neck and let it go, and it slid down to my chest with great delicacy. I let out a breath and made a ponytail of my coal-black hair. As I stood up and turned to pick up the clothes, my eardrums were shaken by a painful scream!
I froze! My pulse began to throb, and my heart sank. A gunshot rang out, and my eyes narrowed. I got terribly nervous and looked towards the door.
Bang! Bang!
This time, two gunshots had fired together, and the sound came from close by. I could hear the staff screaming, which included more fear than before!
I dropped the clothes I had picked up and rushed towards the bathroom door. I stopped for a second once I was inside. My hands were trembling, and my heartbeats were echoing in my ears. I turned back, closed the door, and opened the window.
At this moment, I was only wearing sleep shorts and a baggy t-shirt. I wasn't even wearing slippers on my feet. I put one foot on the window sill. There was a rose-covered grille behind the window, and my other foot rested on it.
I gritted my teeth, ignored the stinging pain, and climbed down as fast as I could.
As soon as my feet touched the grass, I turned and started running.
I ran straight from the rose garden to the back of the house. The morning light had not spread properly yet.
The sound of gunshots had stopped. No one was screaming.
The only sound in the atmosphere was my breathing and heartbeats. It was just like that dream I had today.
I could see the gate in the distance. There was a driveway in front of the gate. If I reached there, I could alert the guard on duty. Even if no one was there, I would escape and run away.
Suddenly, I realized that I had left my phone in my room.
It doesn't matter. Once I reach the gate, I will go to the city and ask someone for a phone…
A scream got stuck in my throat when a hard, muscular hand wrapped around my neck like iron!
The second hand wrapped around my waist, and my whole existence shrunk in fear. My lungs struggled for air, and my pulse quickened. My back was stuck to a man's rugged body like a rock. His hot breath raised the hair on my neck.
I was caught. There was no way to escape. Just like that dream.
But I wasn't going to wake up from this dream.
Despite being the daughter of a criminal, I had never felt this fear before. Because my father was a criminal, but I was brought up like a princess. He had caught me, and my whole body was stiff. I had shrunk within myself like a cocoon. He was silent, and we were moving fast—or I should say, he was pulling me through the garden towards the front of the house.
To be continued…
The sound of the driver's side door opening was heard.
Though I couldn't see due to the blindfold, I could feel everything. The car swayed slightly when he entered and closed the door.
The next moment, the car was racing through the night.
It was my twenty-second birthday, and I was in handcuffs. Blindfolded, I lay face down on the back seat of a car. I had no idea who the driver was, or where he had come from. He had broken into my home, kidnapped me, and was now taking me… where?
God knows what was happening to me.
My mind was racing with thoughts, and my panic was uncontainable!
Slowly, my fear began to turn into a wave of rage, so fierce that even my terror couldn't stop it.
When I first arrived at Harvard, a seminar was organized for new students. We were informed about the city, warned that crime was high, and advised to be vigilant. Girls, in particular, were taught about self-defense. At the very least, we were advised to scream and make ourselves as visible as possible, so that anyone who heard us from a distance would know something was wrong.
And suddenly, it dawned on me what I needed to do.
I started screaming as loudly as I could. I began to thrash and kick on the seat. My bare feet slammed against the armrest of the door, hurting, but I didn’t stop.
I kicked again, higher this time. As I did, I felt my heel hit the window.
"Stop thrashing," the driver whispered.
He slammed his foot on the accelerator, and the car's speed surged. I fell across the seat at an angle.
But I didn't stop screaming, nor did I stop kicking. I kept kicking until my feet met glass once more.
"I told you to stop thrashing!" he yelled, his voice louder this time.
I shivered, but I didn't let it affect me. I told myself – I will absolutely not stop.
Finally, curses erupted from his mouth, and the car swerved to the side of the road, jolting me. The tires left the asphalt, and the screech of gravel and stones erupted from beneath them. He slammed on the brakes, and I fell from the seat before the engine even stopped.
My throat burned, but I kept screaming. I kept kicking. The car stopping fueled my hope, and I began to pray that someone would hear me. Or that seeing the car moving, someone would come to investigate what was happening.
I heard the sound of the car door opening and closing. My pulse hammered as the door was yanked open near my feet, and a voice said, "Don't you understand…"
My knees were bent, and as soon as he opened the door, I flung my legs open as hard as I could, striking his neck and face. A choked, guttural growl escaped him.
Somehow controlling my fear, I moved forward. I got out of the car and stumbled, falling face-first.
He was turning back. I gathered all my strength, got up, and started running.
"Help!" I screamed. I screamed until my throat was raw. It burned like fire. "Help me! Help…"
Suddenly, along with the screams, my breath caught as a hand clamped around my throat like metal. He pulled me back and then put his other hand over my mouth – no, he shoved it there. I was pressed against his rock-hard chest again. I struggled, kicking wildly. But this time, he was ready.
This time, my feet couldn't even reach him.
"Three steps in front of you is a four-hundred-foot drop," he said.
My mouth went dry at the words, and I froze like a statue. A gust of wind came, brushing against my skin and rippling the edges of my t-shirt as it passed.
I tried to swallow but couldn't dislodge the lump in my throat, trapped by the muscular arm wrapped around my neck. My mind was racing, trying to figure out what kind of area this was, where there could be a drop.
But I couldn't comprehend anything. We had only been in this city for four or five years, and I knew very little about it.
I didn't know where I was, and I didn't know if he was telling the truth or just trying to scare me.
One of his hands was around my neck, the other over my mouth. My eyes were still blindfolded, and my hands were bound behind my back with handcuffs.
Suddenly, we started moving again. But this time, he was dragging me behind the car.
The sound of the door opening was heard, and I gasped as he grabbed me by both arms to put me in the vehicle.
This time, I wasn't going into the back seat but the trunk.
My panic reached its peak. But now, I was in no position to do anything. He immediately loomed over me, wrapped rope around both my ankles, and tied them securely. Then he pulled my feet and tied them to the trunk wall. Another rope wrapped around my wrists, and then they too were tied to the wall.
To be continued…
Although I wasn't sure if anyone was around us, I started shouting.
At that exact moment, a thick bundle of clothes was pushed between my lips.
That is, he had now blocked the path of my voice as well. I kept shouting, but my voice was so muffled that I could barely hear it myself.
Then, without saying a word, he slammed the trunk shut, and I went mute out of fear. I heard the driver's door open and close again.
As soon as he sat inside, the Range Rover stirred, and the car reached the road again.
I started trying to remember the route. The car turned left and right, and I was carefully recalling. But soon I realized that my effort was futile without knowing where the car had stopped. Due to fear, I had also lost track of time. Had I been away from home for an hour? Or was it just ten minutes?
Now, all I could do was try to prevent myself from getting hurt in the trunk.
Apart from that, I had to breathe steadily so I wouldn't suffocate and also prevent my heart from pounding out of my chest.
The car stopped at an unknown location, and the engine turned off. As the trunk opened, I tried to get out on my own, but the ropes stopped me. He laughed at my failed attempt. That monster who had changed my situation in the blink of an eye, leaving me unable to move.
He untied the ropes and then his powerful hands grabbed me tightly.
"Don't even think about doing what you did before; otherwise, I promise you the consequences will be worse than you can imagine."
In a different situation, his deep and sweet voice would have sent shivers down my spine. But given the circumstances, it only filled me with fear! Fear of death!
I gasped as he jerked me up and suddenly slung me over his broad shoulders.
I began to tremble. My heart rate sped up again as he took me away from the car. We were perhaps outside the city, and there was a loud noise of some machine or engine.
Suddenly, I froze!
It was the sound of a jet engine! The sound a plane makes when it's about to take off.
That was the sound that was going to make me disappear forever.
Ignoring his last warning, I shouted again and kicked. But once more, he was prepared. Not only did he avoid my kicks, but he also tightly held me in his arms and started climbing the stairs of the plane. I kicked and shouted, trying to break free.
Words like 'human trafficking' and 'sex slavery' flashed through my mind. I was shaken to the core, but I gathered every ounce of strength and courage to fight him. I managed to hit him several times, but it was no use.
The next moment, he put me down from his shoulder onto a cushioned seat and started tying ropes around my body from top to bottom.
I kicked and struggled, but the ropes only tightened. Soon, my stomach, upper chest, and both hands were in the tight grip of the rope.
Then, a rope began to wrap around my ankles, and my feet were tied to the seat.
I heard him sit down and buckle his seatbelt. He was right next to me. The tears I had been trying to hold back began to flow. But my sorrowful tears were being swallowed by the blindfold that had taken away my sight.
The engine roared louder as the plane shot forward. I felt it lift off into the air, and eventually, the sound of the wheels going inside made me shiver.
Time was slipping away. But it didn't matter because I had no way to keep track of it.
The kidnapper was sitting quietly. So quietly that I wondered if he was even on the plane. Maybe his job was just to break into my house, shoot me, kidnap me, and now I was going to the person who was going to sell my body to another monster.
I thought about my fate and sobbed uncontrollably. Despite trying to regain control, I couldn't.
Dark thoughts filled my mind. I started shivering and sobbing uncontrollably. Tears flowed incessantly.
Suddenly, something touched my hand. I fell silent and felt fingers removing the cloth from my mouth.
Although I didn't react with surprise, I realized it was a familiar masculine scent that filled my nostrils. It was him. The kidnapper.
That meant he had been on the plane the whole time.
He removed the cloth from my lips, and when he leaned close, I shivered at his warmth. "If you scream, I'll open the plane window and throw you down. Do you understand?"
I nodded stiffly.
"Good girl."
To be continued…
I swallowed.
"Here. Drink this."
I blinked as a plastic straw waved in front of my eyes. I pressed my lips together and sank into the seat, trying to distance myself from it. He sighed heavily.
"It's water, and you're strapped into a seat on my plane. If I wanted to hurt you, I would have shoved this straw directly into your mouth instead of presenting it to you."
I kept my lips sealed.
"As you wish." He withdrew the straw and I heard the sound of him sitting down. Time passed slowly, and now nothing could be heard except the sound of the plane.
I didn't know what misfortune had planned for me, and the thought made me more distressed.
The mere thought of what this man was going to do to me made me tremble.
I tried to swallow, but I felt like I had a desert in my throat. My dry lips touched each other painfully.
"Drink it now." His tone wasn't playful or warm, but commanding. He wasn't asking if I would drink the water; he was ordering me to drink it.
I heard him stand up again, and he came towards me. But this time, his fingers removed the blindfold from my eyes. Instantly, his ice-blue eyes pierced my soul. I recoiled. I was terribly shocked to see him so close!
Once again, his dangerous beauty was before me. He had a fine beard on his strong, sharp jawline. Ink from a tattoo was visible on his neck below the collar, and a similar tattoo peeked out from his rolled-up sleeve.
His bulging biceps and shoulders, the veins on his thick arms, were all lethal.
He had a holster on his hip with a gun in it.
We were completely alone in the cabin of a small private jet filled with things. He held a cup of water with a straw in his tattooed hand. Without blinking or taking his eyes off me, he brought the straw to his mouth, closed his lips around it, and took a sip. After swallowing, he looked at me with a slight frown, as if to say, "See? It's nothing."
Then he brought the same straw near my mouth. Although I was still trembling, this time I put the straw between my lips and started drinking the water.
"Good girl."
Hearing those words from him made my face flush with heat. When I had finished every last drop of water, he pulled the cup back.
"We'll be landing soon," he informed me, and my eyebrows furrowed. My lips parted and the words escaped – "Where are we…"
But before I could finish, he pulled the blindfold over my eyes again, and I thrashed in distress. However, this time he didn't stuff cloth into my mouth. He silently sat back in his seat and buckled his seatbelt with a click. As I felt the plane descending, my stomach churned.
There was no announcement. The plane was descending unexpectedly. Suddenly, there was a jolt, the wheels touched the ground, and my breath caught in my throat.
My heart pounded in my ears, and my stomach ached with hunger.
Finally, the plane stopped, and my head spun. I heard the man get up.
"Let me tell you something: by not gagging you, I've given you a privilege. If I were you, I wouldn't misuse it."
He untied me, and I cried as he pulled me from the seat and slung me over his shoulder again. We descended the stairs, and I was thrown onto the back seat of a car once more.
My fear had now increased tenfold. Every part of me wanted to cry, to beg for mercy. I wanted to plead with him not to hurt me, not to touch me. It felt like a terrifying dark voice hidden within me was warning me that something terrible was about to happen.
But I couldn't open my mouth even if I wanted to. I remembered his warning.
The car started and began to move. I lay there silently, but inside, I was severely broken.
Once again, he easily lifted me out of the car and slung me over his shoulder before moving forward. First, he crossed the pavement, then walked on gravel, and then on echoing wooden planks.
Then he descended rapidly, and I realized he was standing on a cliff.
Then, hearing the gurgling of water, I shivered!
Now we were on a boat.
He sat me on some kind of bench and tied my wrists behind me to something. With the roar of the engine, the boat came to life and started speeding across the waves.
Time passed, and my heart pounded with the boat as it bounced on the ocean waves. Finally, I heard the engine stop and felt a sense of relief. But the relief was momentary.
He picked me up again, and once again, I heard the thudding of wood. The thudding stopped, and after walking on gravel for some distance, he paused and started fiddling with some beeping alarm code. Beep! Beep!
I heard the sound of a door opening, and he took me inside.
To be continued….
She started climbing the stairs and my body began to tremble.
Finally, we had arrived at the place where he was going to ruin my life. Where he was going to take everything from me. Where he was going to use my body and ultimately, my fate was certain to be death.
As soon as he opened a door and stepped inside, I let out a sob. He lifted me onto his shoulder and stood me on my trembling legs. Then, he grabbed my wrists, which made me panic. Suddenly, a click sound was heard, and the handcuffs opened and fell to the ground. The blindfold was removed from my eyes, and I was blinded by the sudden brightness!
I blinked and when my eyes focused, my jaw dropped.
I wasn't in a scary warehouse or a dark room. I was in a luxurious room that I had never seen in my life. I had seen many beautiful houses before and even lived in some, but this one...
Such luxurious houses and rooms were usually found in European countries!
The ceiling had hexagonal lighting fixtures. The floor was made of wide wooden planks. There was a large window with black iron frames on the wall in front of me, and beyond it, I could see a lake and a forest on its shore at night. Despite being extremely scared, I was mesmerized by the moonlit scene for a moment.
Beyond the lake, there was a denser forest, and no other houses were in sight.
I turned my gaze back to the room, and my eyes widened. The ceiling had crystals and various decorations everywhere. There was a large, beautiful fireplace on one wall, with bookshelves on both sides.
Through an open door, I could see white tiles and black-framed windows, probably a bathroom.
I turned around, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw a large bed against a wall. I froze. All the fear that had disappeared while seeing the beauty of the room suddenly came back.
"I'll bring food," he said from behind me, and I jumped. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I slowly turned to face him, and our eyes met. Those piercing, cold eyes made me shiver.
He was tall, muscular, and looked calm, but I felt nothing but fear.
He turned to leave the room, and I somehow opened my mouth, "Where..."
"You are in my house, and you will stay here," he replied.
He walked away, and my stomach dropped.
"Wait," I said, trembling – "Why am I here..."
"Because you are mine," he said.
These words hit me like a slap, and his icy gaze cut me into two pieces, "Only mine."
The door opened with a click, and he stepped out, closing it behind him.
Now, I was left alone with my racing pulse, sinking heart, and terrifying thoughts.
I turned around, and my eyes fell on the bed, and I shuddered.
No! I won't die here. He can't take anything from me. Anything.
I won't give up... not without a fight.
⛓ 🔗 ⛓ 🔗 ⛓
Krish's POV
Although I looked human, a devil had lived inside me from the beginning.
I held onto the sink's edges, taking deep breaths. My fingers were white due to tension, and my teeth were clenched, with my arm muscles and tattoos trembling.
I could feel that monster, that devil, which I had imprisoned and buried deep within my soul. It was growling behind the bars, sometimes stopping for a moment and then violently hitting the bars, as if testing them... or himself.
No... I won't let him out. I have to be in control.
I exhaled slowly and turned on the faucet. Before splashing water on my face, I let it flow to make it cold. Yes, I needed cold water; it would numb the devil inside me.
I splashed water on my face, then turned off the faucet and looked in the mirror. Water dripped from my face, my eyes were hard, and my grip on the sink's edges tightened.
I had promised myself I wouldn't do this again.
I didn't mean violence or the actions I had done in the past few hours. I meant not doing these things for what I had promised myself I wouldn't do.
Years ago, I left the Ghost Organization and removed that cancer from my life forever. But today, I realized that cancer hadn't disappeared; it had just moved from one part of my body to another.
I was drawn back into the life I had forgotten. The life where I was a monster, a devil, a beast, a killer, and a nightmare that could swallow anyone. They called me the Bookwalk. A demon king with four arms, two legs, twisted horns, and blue eyes who hunted at night.
However, I didn't look like that. It was just a nickname given to me because of my blue eyes and the way I shed blood and committed murders. It could only be the actions of a monster!
To be continued…
I did all these jobs for the 'Ghost Syndicate'. For a person I hated more than anyone.
When I was fourteen, he took me along. At that time, I was living with my mother in a dirty slum. My mother was illiterate, so he easily convinced her and told her that he was working on a secret military program called - Project Ghost.
But nothing like that existed. Actually, under the name of a military program, an army of contract killers was being set up, and it wasn't the government behind it, but one person - Mikhail.
He slowly built up a whole academy of deadly assassins and spies.
Then that boy, whose mother was deceived and taken away, became Mikhail's most dangerous pawn. Mikhail himself had turned him from a common young man into a Bookwak.
His most precious killer. The most dangerous fighter. Then one day, I ran away from him and never looked back.
It was when I was living as a captain in a mafia empire.
Sorry… I wasn't living… Mikhail had placed me there. He was very cunning. He would infiltrate his people into any empire and take over the entire empire. He was going to make me do the same, so he had me join, but before that, Nikita died, and everything ended.
I ran away from Mikhail and his evil deeds.
I severed all ties with him and started living with a mafia as his top advisor. Now I was someone else, something else.
From the outside, people saw me as the top-ranked person in a criminal empire. A man who wore expensive suits and watches.
But it was all superficial. It was a mask that I wore to bury my past. A mask that kept the demon chained inside me.
The Bookwak inside me was asleep… for a long time.
I had never felt the desire or greed to wake him up again.
Until Mikhail didn't find my weak spot and press it. Until he offered me something that shook me!
He promised to tell me the last place of my sister. The place where she was buried. I had to go there… I was looking for that place to give my sister peace, and so I broke my own rule.
I was ready to work for that devil again.
It had been years since I last spoke to Mikhail, and I hadn't even heard his voice recently.
All conversations and exchanges happened through his second-in-command, Jena.
Mikhail knew I wouldn't talk to him directly. Because he was the one who let Nikita die. I had also sworn to kill Mikhail and was waiting for the right time and opportunity.
But still, I took his job. Not one… two jobs. Because, in return, my sister would get the peace she deserved after so many years.
Even if I had to work with the person who let her die.
The first job was a simple murder - the murder of a government officer in Mumbai a month ago. The man was advancing a government plan that could affect The Ghost Syndicate.
The job wasn't that difficult. Just a sniper gun, a tall building, and then a bulletproof car windshield was pierced.
Now, all we had to do to fulfill our deal was the second and final job.
The assassination of Parthiv Rao's only living heir. This was even easier. Very easy.
But look what happened? I'm here. Thousands of miles away in my home. With the girl I was supposed to kill.
A simple… very simple task had become very complicated now.
And it all happened because of that ring. The silver chain hanging ring that was currently around Tanya's neck. Tanya… Parthiv's daughter, who had died. That Parthiv, whom Mikhail hated intensely.
One of Mikhail's biggest dreams was to gain control over the Rao Organization. To imprison him in his fist.
He didn't try which tricks he didn't try to win. Even after Parthiv's wife died, he made his second-in-command, Jena, a Manipuri, into Parthiv's life, and Jena seduced him so that he married her. But success still eluded him.
Anyway, it was supposed to end today when I would shoot Tanya at her father's house. That was the plan - I would enter her house, shoot her, and then disappear.
But things didn't happen that way.
I gritted my teeth and went back from the bathroom to my study and directly reached the bar cart. I poured a lot of vodka into a glass and touched the glass to my lips in a tempting way.
I knew it wasn't the ring I had given Nikita a long time ago. Then that scoundrel Mikhail took it away and made it a part of that crazy program that turned me from a human into an animal.
It wasn't that ring, but it stopped me from firing, from committing another murder. It took me out of that state where I went when I had to become an emotionless killing machine.
To be continued…
For the first time in my life, I hesitated before my prey like this. I couldn't kill him. And here I had brought him. She fought me hard and tried to escape, but I didn't let her succeed. And now… there was a devil inside me, staring at the girl from behind bars.
He wanted the girl to be defiant again, and then I would teach her a lesson. I drank another glass. I didn't understand what to do. On one hand, there was duty, and on the other, I felt like doing something else.
No, I won't listen to myself now. I had never been so careless in my life before. There was no room for carelessness in my life! Nor was there room for that girl who had awakened a new hunger within me. Now I will do what I couldn't do before. I will go back to the guest room where I have locked her up, and complete the task that I had to finish at her father's house in India, right here. But before that, a call is necessary.
I took out my phone and dialed Jenna's number.
"Police have swarmed the Rao house like a shadow," - Mikhail's niece and my second favorite person got straight to the point - "A delivery driver called immediately after seeing a body on the stairs."
I waited for her next words, which I knew what they would be. "Do you know whose body is still missing?" - she was annoyed - "Tell me... why are you silent?"
"The job is done." For some reason, it came out of my mouth, and now I couldn't go back on my word. In the blink of an eye, I found myself on the road of lies, and I couldn't understand why.
Suddenly my mind, my heart, everything had changed. I didn't know what had happened. Jenna went silent, and from this end of the phone, I could feel her narrowed eyebrows and upturned nose. "You should have killed her on the spot..."
"Plans change, Jenna. But the job is done."
"Where?"
My eyes narrowed. "It doesn't matter."
"If you want that information from us, on which our deal was based, then show me proof."
I gritted my teeth. "I won't ask for anything; you have to give it to me yourself because that was the deal. Just give me that, and I'll give you proof too."
"I'm coming to you. I'd prefer to see her body with my own eyes. Where are you?"
"I have completed your task. I will contact you soon and tell you how to get my things to me." I immediately hung up. My only regret was that Jenna wasn't in front of me at that moment. I would have enjoyed watching her lose her temper and create destruction, and I was sure she was doing just that right now. My eyes stared at the dark lake from the study room window. Finishing my last glass, I left the study and started climbing the stairs, two at a time. I went through the long hallway towards the east wing. The guest room was there. I was expecting to hear the sounds of the door being broken down or things being thrown at the bullet-proof windows as I reached the door. But instead, silence greeted me. I hadn't told her why she was here. Ugh… I didn't even know why I had brought her here myself. I started remembering how she fought me. How she flailed her limbs. How she twisted in my grip. And how her scent had awakened something within me. The pulse pounding in my ears grew louder as I slowly opened the guest room door. I entered and scanned the room with narrowed brows. A desk lay broken in front of the window, but the window was unharmed. How could it be? If bullets couldn't break it, how could a wooden desk? The side table had also fallen, and the table lamp had broken when it hit the floor. All I could see was her – the destruction she had caused. But not her. As I moved towards the bathroom to find her, my eyes narrowed, and then suddenly, my sixth sense screamed!
I turned back, but by then, she had made her move. The other table lamp hit the back of my head, and I lost my balance. I fell to my knees and barely managed to lift my hand to prevent the padded foot of the broken chair from smashing my head. What the hell! I tried to get up, but she kicked my shoulder, upsetting my balance again, and I fell backward. I growled loudly, and she quickly ran towards the door. By the time I reached the door, she was descending the hall stairs. But as I watched her flee, what I felt wasn't anger. Nor was I angry that she had tried to hurt me. I wasn't even angry at myself for being so careless! No! Anger! Hatred! I felt nothing! Instead, I felt a fire that I had never experienced before. I didn't want to kill her or hurt her. I wanted to chase her. To catch her by chasing her. I felt a unique thrill watching her run. Poor thing… she didn't know who she was running from. From him… from whom no one had ever escaped.
To be continued…
I ran out, sliding on the carpet spread in the hallway. But I immediately regained my balance and stood up quickly. Air was escaping from my lungs in bits. There were explosions of fear and panic inside. Run. Run. Run.
I rushed down the stairs so fast that I almost fell. By now, I could hear the thud of his footsteps. If he caught me this time, he wouldn't show any mercy. Because I had dared to try to kill him. The thought of being caught made me shudder! I know I should still be lying in some corner of that room, paralyzed. I should be whimpering, begging for mercy from the devil who brought me here. But I somehow managed to gather the strength to fight within me. I won't die here. I won't die! I won't die without a fight!
I turned a corner and frantically looked around for the exit. My eyes landed on the door in front of me. I heard his growl behind me, and a mix of fear and some strange emotion spread through my body. I sprinted as fast as I could, faster than I ever had before. My hip brushed against a side table near a sofa, and I cried out in pain but ignored it and kept running towards the door. This was my only chance for freedom. Now, I couldn't hear his voice, but I knew he was behind me. I knew it was my heartbeat that was deafening my ears. My entire focus was on the door in front of me. I quickly turned the knob, opened the door, and flung myself out, suspended in mid-air.
A scream escaped my lips as he grabbed my neck with his strong grip, lifting me off the ground. I was screaming as if the god of death had grabbed my throat. Despite the pressure on my throat and the suffocating fear, my screams didn't stop. He brought me down and pressed me against his chest. I won't die here. My death can't happen here.
"Scream all you want; you have my permission," his dry voice, close to my ear, sent shivers down my spine. His rock-like body was pressed against mine, and I was stiff as stone.
"But all you'll get from screaming your throat out is hoarseness. There's no one to hear you here," he said.
My heart was pounding in my ears, and my eyes were spinning wildly. For a moment, I felt like I was drowning. He was right; there was no one to hear me. I couldn't see any houses near the lake or on its edge.
"Please…" The word broke from my trembling lips, "Please...please...let me go…" He released my neck and moved away. I blinked and looked back, and my rapid heartbeat quickened even more. His eyes pierced through me, and he stood calmly. My gaze fell on the tattoo under his open collar and then on his full lips, where a faint smile played. His lips were silent, and I stared back at him, mute. A realization hit me, and I wrapped my arms around my chest. "I…I…"
"Run," his single word sent fear coursing through me.
"I...I didn't understand..."
His eyes narrowed slightly, and the corners of his lips curled dangerously, "I want you to run. Away from me."
"I…"
"If you escape," he muttered softly, his penetrating gaze not blinking, "you're free. And if I catch you..." He shrugged, "you'll be punished."
I started shaking, and my hair stood on end. "Where should I run?" I whispered in a trembling voice.
"This property isn't that big. You can see it clearly. If you get out of here without being caught by me, you're free," he said.
I stared at him, my chest heaving. "What nonsense! Why are you playing games with me?"
He smiled like a hunter, "Not games, an opportunity."
"For what?"
He just smiled faintly, and I shivered at the sparkle in his eyes. I tightened my arms around myself. I wished I hadn't worn sleep shorts and a baggy T-shirt. His eyebrows furrowed slightly, "What's wrong? Aren't you running?"
"Do you want me to run?"
"Of course," he replied.
"I don't want to…"
"Of course, you do," he said, coming close to me, and my breath caught. My skin prickled, my arms clung tighter, and my legs locked together. I swallowed another lump in my throat, "I didn't even wear shoes."
"Well? You should have thought of that before you ran. I'll count to three, and then you have to run," my breath quickened. "One." I stepped back, my eyes still fixed on his. "Two." A new surge of energy began to flow through me. Suddenly, I spun around and started running. My pulse was screaming in my ears, and I kept running, passing by the surrounding trees. Sometimes, I collided with a tree trunk or branch, and my existence was filled with fear. The terrifying dream came back to me. The only difference was that here, I couldn't wake up and save myself. I didn't look back once and didn't want to. I just kept running. I didn't know if what he said was true or not. If he would really let me go or not. But I knew one thing - not running was giving up. Not escaping was admitting defeat. So, I ran through the darkness surrounded by trees. Every nerve in my body screamed. My burning throat struggled to breathe. My ears were filled with the terrifying noise of my heartbeat. The darkness kept colliding with trees. That's when I heard him. He was right behind me. Panic began to incinerate all my courage and determination. But I didn't stop. The sound of cracking twigs told me he was getting closer. I started screaming, and he kept coming… closer, until I could feel his warm breath on my neck.
To be continued….
Terror had drained the life out of me. He was right behind me, but I was running. It was my only hope. This was how I could survive.
I kept telling myself this, and suddenly my fear began to transform into energy.
An exhilaration. A new strength began to awaken within me.
I could defeat him, I just had to run a little further and then I would be free.
Thinking I was close to victory, I started to feel more alive than ever, and with that, my speed increased.
Now, a different kind of thrill was coursing through me. The thrill of not being caught. And this thrill was flowing through my veins like a drug. I pushed myself even harder. My whole body was filled with new strength and excitement.
My hairs were standing on end. My heart was pounding. From head to toe, I was drenched in sweat, and now this sweat was causing a chill due to the wind.
My run in the middle of the dark forest had become a kind of dance. Sometimes left, sometimes right, sometimes ducking, sometimes jumping. My lips stretched into a smile, and I felt a warmth in my core as the edge of the lake came into view.
"This property isn't very large. You can see that clearly. If you can get out of here without being caught, then you are free."
Phew… I'm about to be free. Just a few more steps. I've made it. I've really made...
Fingers like iron wrapped around my neck. He yanked me towards him, and the scream that was about to escape my throat got stuck and muffled!
A blast of terror erupted throughout my body! All the energy and all the excitement that had reawakened within me was scattered in an instant.
My eyes bulged out, my mouth hung open, but not a sound escaped. He spun me around in the darkness and slammed me against the trunk of a tree.
His hand was on my throat, his scorching, deadly blue eyes stared at me, and my back was pressed against the tree trunk. Both our chests were heaving from the run. I could feel the thumping within the soft skin of my neck, resonating from the tips of his fingers.
"Tch... tch... poor thing, defeated even when so close," he muttered in the darkness.
My ears buzzed. My core tightened, then spasmed strangely. My legs were trembling violently as I widened my eyes and asked, "Now wha—"
What cut me off wasn't a word from his mouth, but... his mouth itself, which attached itself to mine. His lips sucked the breath from my lungs, filling my body with fire, and draining my soul.
He was kissing me very forcefully. Was this the punishment he had spoken of? Yes... this was the punishment. He had stolen my first kiss. No, he had snatched it.
A kaleidoscope of fireworks began to erupt behind my eyes. Fire began to spread in my chest. It felt like millions of sparks were raining down on every inch of my skin.
His strong fingers were still on my neck. The fine stubble on his strong jaw was digging into my chin. A masculine scent mingled with the smell of the forest and some perfume emanated from his body. His hard and tall body was pressed against my small frame.
But amidst all this, the thing I felt the most was the warm softness of his lips. Those lips were fighting against mine, trying to force their way in. Despite all my efforts, I was unable to escape his grip. And no matter how much I wanted to pull away from his lips, he was kissing me so intensely that my lips parted and opened. With that, his tongue attacked and entered my mouth.
This was my first kiss at the age of twenty-two. Perhaps it wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been the daughter of a cruel mafia boss. My education had always been in co-ed schools and colleges.
But it seemed that wherever I went, everyone already knew who I was, who my father was, and what he did. From college to university, I had befriended four different boys in succession, but none of them lasted more than a week. The following week, they would change their path upon seeing me.
My friends were also intimidated by me, and my friendships with them also didn't last long.
So, this is how my life had been so far. I don't know why I never had a boyfriend. Perhaps Dad had me watched, and whenever a boy tried to get close to me, threats were sent to his address.
Therefore, no one had ever dared to touch me, let alone kiss me.
Until he arrived, the one who had broken into my house and taken me. Who had stuffed cloth in my mouth. Who had handcuffed me. Every time I tried to escape, he would appear behind me like a genie and catch me.
The heat from his lips rubbing against mine was increasing.
The fingers clinging to my neck were also getting warmer. Suddenly, they opened and slid down to my jaw.
A low rumble from his chest sent vibrations through my core, and I shivered.
Now, I felt myself sinking into his intoxication.
Unwillingly, I suddenly opened my lips fully and began to taste his tongue on mine.
To be continued…
I couldn't move away from him. It seemed like I needed this. This was what I wanted, and that's why my legs didn't want to run now.
It felt like my hands weren't under my control. They were slowly rising towards his chest on their own. But as soon as I was about to touch him, a jolt hit, and he suddenly grabbed my hands and pressed them against his head. My breath began to catch. His hands were so large that he could hold both of my hands in one hand. With his other hand, he pressed my chin and growled as he started kissing me.
My body heat was increasing rapidly. My body was trembling as it pressed against his. My heels had automatically curled in, and I was standing on tiptoes to reach him.
My heartbeats were pounding loudly in my ears.
The more he kissed me with slow savagery and intensity, the more my trembling body heated up. I was like a kettle filled with water and left on the stove for too long.
And when the kettle's water started boiling fiercely, he let me go. It was so sudden and unexpected that I stood there for two seconds with my eyes closed and mouth open, until I realized what was happening!
I blinked, emerged from the swirling storm of desire, and returned to reality, where I had just kissed the person who had kidnapped me!
My lungs were aching, and it felt like I still couldn't breathe. I exhaled quickly, filled my lungs with air, and shuddered when I saw his dangerous, cold eyes staring at me.
"Princess caught... now what?"
His words were barely audible to me because, despite myself, I was still immersed in the sensation of that kiss.
Suddenly, he pulled me towards him, slung me over his shoulder, and started walking among the trees.
I wanted to scream, but I was still in shock. I wanted to fight, but I was frozen. I was like a burnt and crispy thing. The fire he had ignited within me wasn't dying down, and I couldn't extract myself from it.
I couldn't see much in the darkness, but he walked through the dense trees like he was a morbid twin.
Soon, we were very close to home. What? Home? How did we get here so quickly? When I turned my eyes to the left, my heart sank.
Oh! I had run away from him carelessly and directionless, and I had unknowingly made a big U-turn and returned to the same place.
The lake shore I had seen through the trees was the one just twenty meters away from the house. Not my house... his. For me, it was a prison.
The forest and lake were colored in deep purple with the night. The air felt cold, although my insides were filled with lava.
My mind was still numb from that kiss. We were walking back to the house, passing by the rocks on the shore. I knew I should have fought, but I felt completely exhausted. I had been running since morning. My legs, hands, and throat hadn't had a moment's rest.
I was exhausted.
From running.
From being caught.
And the remaining deficiency was completed by the lips of that beautiful, unknown monster.
He brought me inside through the same door I had escaped from. We went up the same stairs where I had almost slipped and fallen. And we ended up in the same room from where I had narrowly escaped.
This time, my sixth sense told me that it would be difficult to escape from here.
He dropped me on the bed and stood a foot away from me. I shuddered all over. My breaths became heavy and rapid, and my cheeks turned red. My eyes rose towards him, and my mind asked what would happen next?
First, he chased me, caught me, and kissed me. Now, he had brought me to the bed and was standing in front of me, staring at me. What would he do now?
"Goodnight, Princess."
He turned around and left the room without saying anything, leaving my jaw open in surprise.
But he didn't forget to close the door and perhaps even lock it, as I heard a faint click.
Something was wrong... something was going very wrong with me. As soon as he disappeared, I didn't feel the relief I should have felt.
It's not like I was disappointed that he had left.
No, not at all. When he left, the weak and crumpled girl inside me felt somewhat good that he hadn't torn my clothes or taken anything else from me after the first kiss.
But why didn't I feel relief? Why wasn't I at peace?
It felt like I was trapped somewhere.
To be continued….
I was stuck in the gray area of my mind. A place where darkness merges with light and blurs the clarity between right and wrong. It erases the difference between good and evil. Here, danger and desire become indistinguishable. Sanity and madness become one.
A few hours ago, my mind was clear about where I stood and what I had to do next. But now?
After that kiss, I couldn't even remember who I was.
Seconds turned into minutes, and minutes into hours. First, I slowly paced back and forth on the floor between two broken lamps. Then I thought to check the door and moved towards it.
When I opened the door, I got the same news I had expected. It was badly locked. So badly that its knob wasn't even turning. That's when I noticed that the white-tiled bathroom had a window. But it was also locked. Just like those glass windows that faced the room and offered a view of the entire lake.
He had indeed locked me up in a luxurious prison!
It was impossible to escape.
I returned to sit at the edge of the bed, knees to my chest, and began to nervously chew my lip. My pulse pounded in my ears.
What would happen now? What would happen next? He didn't seem like the kind of person who would kidnap me just to keep me captive in his luxurious home. Or to run me down in the woods and kiss me.
I shuddered and clutched my knees tighter. The same dark confusion still swirled within me. I was terrified, but an odd longing kept rising. Every moment, the image of those piercing ice-blue eyes created a pang within me.
The way he would suddenly appear behind me and grab me, it sent a jolt through me! For a moment, I felt such a shock and excitement that every hair stood on end.
His iron-like fingers wrapped around my neck, turning me like a toy, and I felt a thrill along with the fear.
And… I couldn't forget the moment he stuck me to that tree and glued himself to me. He tried to swallow my lips like someone eternally thirsty.
Like… like… I was his… only his.
Suddenly coming to my senses, I squeezed my eyes shut. Something was wrong with me. I was doing something wrong to myself.
I began to reason with myself. No! Don't remember him like that. He's not your classmate with beautiful eyes. Not the boy who smiled at you in the coffee shop.
He's a murderer. A kidnapper. And perhaps a born psychopath.
And you're recalling his kiss like it's something romantic?! I didn't expect that from you, Tanya's daughter. Get a grip!
He turned your life into hell. He chases you through the woods and then forcibly kisses you. No, not just kisses... but snatches it. Ah, how much I had imagined about my first kiss, but look what happened!
My eyes hardened, and I trembled with anger.
Yes, I had forgotten that he's a devil, and devils are always devils. I need to escape this madness.
He wasn't someone to be thought about. He had genuinely kidnapped me.
He entered my father's house, took countless lives, and brought me here in handcuffs on a plane. And who knows what he's going to do next.
I just needed to get out of here.
I stood up and approached the wall with windows. In front of me were large glass panes. The first time I threw a chair at them, the chair broke, but the glass didn't even scratch.
My eyes roamed over their lower layers. These were the kind of windows that could be swung outward, but all were locked.
As I was running my fingers over the hinges of a window, my eyebrows suddenly furrowed. It seemed like there was a clue here that I couldn't clearly see.
A strong thing remains strong only until its weak point is found.
And suddenly, I stopped my fingers and stared closely at the hinge. Then a smile flickered on my lips!
The weak point of that strong thing was found - the hinge.
The heavy windows were set in such a way that the hinge had two parts. One part was attached to the window glass, and the other to the frame in the wall. The part of the hinge connected to the window looked like it had been slid into the lower part connected to the frame and locked. If I tried, I could push the part connected to the frame outward.
As I looked at it, the first thing that came to my mind was, "How did I understand this?" The answer that came to me was that in trouble, the human mind, like the legs, starts working on its own.
At the same time, another thought was running through my mind: Would what I was about to do really be as easy as it suddenly seemed?
To be continued…
At the same time, another thought was running through my mind: would what I was about to do really be as easy as it seemed?
There was only one way to find out.
I pulled a desk from the corner to the window and placed it against the wall next to the window. The chair I had broken earlier had a broken leg that would come in handy. I pressed the broken leg against the window frame's hinge and started pushing. The window looked lighter than it was, but I gritted my teeth and persisted. I groaned and applied all my strength, and slowly my plan started to work.
The hinge began to slide outward.
Sweat was trickling down my forehead, and my hands and chest were starting to ache, but I didn't stop. There was no question of stopping. I summoned all my strength and kept pushing.
The hinge creaked and slowly moved outward, millimeter by millimeter. I watched as the three parts of the heavy iron frame were freed, until finally, the entire large windowpane was released.
Its corner broke and fell to the ground with a loud thud, scratching the hard wooden floor. Before the entire pane could fall, I caught it and slowly lowered it down. This too required an enormous amount of strength.
My pulse was racing. As I tried to listen for any sound, I could hear my heart beating in my ears. I waited for the sound of footsteps coming from the monster's room.
Seconds ticked by, turning into minutes, but I heard no sound, no footsteps.
He wasn't coming.
As I turned to look out the window, my breathing quickened! The darkness outside was absolute! The air was filled with the sounds of crickets and night birds, and the moonlit lake water lapping against the rocks.
My heart was racing out of control.
Come on, Tanya. You can't back down now. Show some courage.
I was on the second floor, but there was a ledge or something similar under the windows. I trembled in the cold night air and put one bare foot out. Then I put the other foot out, stood on that ledge-like structure, and slowly began to crawl to the left. Every nerve in my body was trembling.
Ahead, I saw a sprawling tree that looked sturdy, but I had no plan B. So I counted to three and jumped.
The shock made me gasp, but I was relieved to be hanging from a sturdy branch of the tree. I swung there for a while, gripping the branch with all my might, or I would have fallen to who-knew-what fate.
As my swinging slowed, I began to move forward. I climbed and latched onto branch after branch, getting several scratches on my thighs and inner arms. My pulse kept racing.
My heartbeat got out of control again, but a few seconds later, my feet touched the grass, and a shiver ran through me!
Finally, I was free from his captivity.
The lights on the lower floor were still on, but I didn't catch a glimpse of him.
Suddenly, I wondered if this was some other crazy game of his?
Maybe he knew I would find a way to escape through the window and was just waiting for me - somewhere in the shadows of the trees - ready to pounce!
What would he do if he caught me this time? Would he kiss me again? Or would he take something even more precious from me?
I shuddered. My heart started trembling, but I gathered my courage and immediately set off, running through the trees. My breathing grew labored after a while. I strained my eyes to see through the darkness, but I couldn't see anything. The last time I ran, I was terrified because 'he' was behind me.
This time, he wasn't behind me, but I was more terrified than ever!
It seemed like every branch was itching to tear me apart and pounce on me. The sounds of owls, bats, crickets, or any other creature that lived here seemed like someone aiming a gun at me from behind or about to slit my throat with a sword.
Fear suddenly choked my throat, and I spun around, startled. It seemed like someone was right behind me, but there was no one in sight, no matter how far I looked. I closed my eyes, chose a direction, and started running again. The branches snapped at me again, sometimes cutting my skin, scratching, or getting tangled in my hair. And then, suddenly, I left the forest behind and emerged into an open space.
Right by the lake.
Ugh! No! I did it again! I had come back in a U-turn, standing right in front of that wretched house.
I groaned and realized I wasn't actually where I thought I was. The structure in front of me looked like a house, but it wasn't a house. It was a boat house, nestled right by the lake. I frowned and turned to the right, and in the distance, I saw a flicker of light coming from the main house, where I had escaped from.
To be continued...
My heart was still racing with the thrill of freedom and the wild dash through the forest, but my eyes were fixed on the boathouse. The boathouse had boats. With a boat, I could cross this lake. Once I reached the other side, I would surely find someone to help me. I was about to sprint towards the boathouse with increased heartbeats when suddenly, I felt a movement. A danger alarm went off in my head, and I quickly crouched down, making a loud sucking sound as I gasped for breath, but I quickly covered my mouth. I saw a shadow appear in the distance behind me and slowly make its way towards me. Oh my God! Had he found me again? I blended into the bushes, making sure not to catch his eye. My wide eyes were fixed on the shadow as it crawled closer, like a hunting animal searching for its prey. I was petrified, my hands pressed against my chest, trying to calm my racing heart. Just then, the clouds parted, and the moonlight illuminated the lake, the shore, and the trees. This shadow wasn't him. It was a young woman. She was dressed entirely in black, not just any black dress, but a combat suit, like that of an army commander. Her body was well-concealed, and she wore a balaclava mask, revealing only her eyes, lips, and black hair. She reached the spot where I was lying, and her eyes narrowed. I held my breath as I noticed an assault rifle hanging from a strap on her chest. My breathing stopped, and my ears were filled with the pounding of my pulse. She passed in front of me, stopped a few steps away, and tried to pull something out of her pocket. After retrieving it, she did something, then brought it to her ear. Oh, it was a phone. "It's me," she whispered, "I've been scouting here. He's here, but it seems he's alone." I blinked rapidly, my lower lip throbbing in pain as my teeth were clenched into it. The mysterious woman nodded and said, "Yes, I'll get the job done. If he's here and that bastard has kept him alive, I'll personally light his pyre." Shit! Shit! Shit! What was I hearing? Who was she going to cremate? My teeth pierced my delicate lip, filling my mouth with the taste of blood. The pounding of my heart turned into the wail of a warning siren. It felt like the air raid siren had sounded, signaling impending danger. "If he's here and that bastard has kept him alive, I'll personally light his pyre." Every neuron in my brain screamed at me to get up and run, to jump into the water and swim as long as I could, to get as far away from this deadly place as possible. But if I ran, she might hear me. And if she didn't hear me, he might, the one who had probably realized I was missing and was searching for me everywhere. All I could do was lie there, one hand on my mouth and the other on the ground, and wait. She put the phone back in her pocket and picked up the assault rifle. Her eyes scanned the area where I was hiding but didn't linger; they moved on. She stood there, eyes narrowed, scanning the area. Her lips were pursed. Then she turned and sprinted lightly towards the shore. My control was gone. I immediately got up and started running in one direction. The excitement had worn off, and I was now running frantically, not knowing where. I didn't care about the branches scratching and cutting me. Suddenly, I saw lights ahead, and my breath caught. Had I returned to the main house? Hundreds of thorns pricked my bare feet, but I swallowed the pain and kept moving until the scene ahead was bathed in moonlight again, and my mind suddenly shouted, stopping me. Ugh, I was standing right next to the boathouse I had seen from the edge of the forest earlier. I quickly crouched down and tried to slow my breathing as much as possible. She had also come this way. My eyes began to search for her on the shore, and my mind became filled with anxiety and fear. And then I saw her, a black rubber dinghy (a type of military boat) moving silently towards the opposite shore of the lake, with the same black-clad woman sitting in it. My breath escaped in a whoosh. The danger had passed. To be continued… Has the danger truly passed, or has it just begun? I'll find out in the next chapter.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. The frantic pounding of my heart hadn't completely subsided, but I felt a little more relaxed now. Finally, I let out a second of relieved breath.
She was gone. The danger had passed.
My eyes drifted towards the boathouse, a faint tingling sensation prickled my skin, and I got up and stood.
I needed to find the boat. Perhaps that boat was still here that had brought me here.
I started walking slowly on the open ground.
Suddenly, the sound of a twig snapping echoed from behind me, and my breath hitched in my throat! I turned around with a suspended heart.
A squirrel emerged from the trees, munching on a walnut.
I let out a sigh and exhaled a trembling breath.
Just a mischievous squirrel. No need to be afraid.
I took a slow, deep breath, which normalized my heartbeat. My nerves stopped screaming. Finally, I felt okay. It was time to get out of here. I turned around and screamed bloody murder! I had run straight into his hard, rock-like chest.
A powerful hand grabbed the hair at the back of my head, and the other hand clamped over my screaming mouth. And as he leaned over me, my eyes filled with tears.
His ice-blue eyes pierced me, and I stared at him, tears streaming down my face. The next moment, a savage smile was on his lips.
"Going somewhere, Princess?"
I tried to scream and struggle again, swallowing my tears, but his grip was like iron. No one could escape him.
I thrashed wildly, but he didn't even flinch. He stood still, his one hand behind my head and the other over my mouth, stifling my screams in my throat.
His eyes gleamed in the moonlight, and his muscles twitched subtly at my struggles.
Suddenly, he pulled my hair, but not in a way that caused much pain in my head. But my attention was diverted, and I stopped struggling. He smiled as I calmed down, and I stared at him. He was changed. He was wearing black jeans and a white t-shirt that clung to his broad chest. Secondly, like me, he was barefoot. He squinted and said, "I'm going to take my hands away. But before that, a word of advice: don't even try to scream."
I immediately nodded and swallowed. His jaw clenched for a second, and then he removed his hand from my mouth. But the other still remained tangled in my hair.
"I see you've decided to play games again without telling me…"
"There was someone here!"
It escaped me involuntarily. He raised his eyebrows and stared sternly. When he mentioned "games," his eyes lit up a little too much then.
"What did you say?"
"There was someone here. A woman."
His eyes narrowed.
"Alone?"
I nodded and said, "Yes… I-I only saw her alone. She was wearing a military-type dress, had an assault rifle with her, and was talking on the phone."
I shifted slightly, ignoring the strange tingling sensation that the pull of his fist in my hair sent through me.
I gestured to where the woman had been standing, precisely where I had been hiding.
"There. She said on the phone that it seems you are here alone, but…"
I shuddered and fell silent.
"Tell me more!" he growled.
"Then she sat in a rubber dinghy and left." I pointed towards where I had seen his small boat heading – "I saw her heading towards the other side…"
"Tell me everything she said! What did she say?!"
I tried my best to look to the other side, trembling, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from him.
"If she's here and this bastard has kept her alive, I'll burn her pyre myself," the words echoed in my mind.
His gaze had been stern a few seconds ago, but now it had softened. How or why that magic happened, I didn't know.
"Tell me, Tanya, what did she say?"
"Y-you said my name?! When I don't even know your name."
Hearing me, his eyebrows arched with interest. "What good would it do to know?"
"Nothing. I'd just like to know the name of the bastard who picked me up from home, put me on a plane and took me God knows where, made me run through the jungle like a lunatic, and…"
"And then?" He moved closer to me. My heart started racing and my breathing became erratic.
"Then kissed me without my permission…"
And it started again. This time too, there was no warning, no hint. His lips collided with mine like an invisible storm. They snatched my breath away and demanded to enter. I couldn't stop him even with all my strength, and his tongue plunged deep, tangling with mine. He continued until my legs began to tremble and my toes curled.
Then he suddenly pulled back.
No one spoke. I wasn't even breathing, just standing there, trembling from the heat in a state of shock. My lips were swollen and tingling.
"I'm used to it."
I blinked, trying to recall the words and how to form them.
"U-used to what?"
"Used to you. Whether you permit it or not. Whenever I want, wherever I want, I will snatch it from you. Even if someone has my skull at gunpoint, I won't stop kissing you. Now tell me quickly, what did that woman say?"
To be continued…
I swallowed the lump in my throat and dragged my subconscious out of the numbness that had followed the kiss. I looked at him and mustered up the courage to speak, "Did you come to kill me? At my house?" Even though I tried, my voice came out more like a whisper. "Is that why you brought me here?"
He furrowed his eyebrows and glared at me in silence.
I glared back at him, "Okay... I understand. This is the truth. Someone wants to kill me... Oh!"
I screamed as he lifted me up and carelessly tossed me over his shoulder. Then, he turned around and started walking towards the main house like a storm.
I started thrashing and struggling, but honestly, I didn't have the same fire in me anymore. He had extinguished it when his lips touched mine.
As we entered the house, he didn't turn towards the stairs but instead took me further inside. He kept walking until we reached a library or maybe a study room... I wasn't sure. There were plenty of books and a desk. I was panting and struggling, and he put me down on the sofa. Then, he turned to pick something up from the desk.
"What the hell!" I stood up and shouted, "Give me a yes or no answer. Did you come to kill me?"
He turned around, and my face turned pale. A scream bubbled up in my throat.
He had a glinting hunting knife in his hand.
He approached me, and I screamed and stepped back, but my one leg slipped, and I fell back onto the sofa.
"No! Please!"
He loomed over me, and I screamed loudly. He grabbed a thin strand of my hair and held it. Then, he raised the knife and carefully cut off a six-inch lock of my hair.
I blinked rapidly and stared at him.
"Y... what did you do?!"
My hand instinctively went to the side of my head where he had cut my hair.
He went back to the desk, dropped the lock of hair and the knife, and picked something up. Then, he turned around.
This time, he had a syringe in his hand.
"N-no!"
"Give me your hand."
My eyes were wide with fear. I shook my head and said, "Please no..."
He grabbed my wrist, pulled my arm towards him, and straightened it. He placed the needle on a visible vein.
"Please don't!"
"Don't move!"
As soon as the needle pierced my skin, I let out a cry and my lips started trembling.
"I'm not giving you drugs. I'm just taking your blood."
I blinked in confusion and watched as he actually drew my blood into the syringe. Finally, he gently pulled out the needle and immediately covered the mark with a cotton ball.
"Press this."
He went back to the desk, emptied the syringe into a test tube, and I stared blankly. Then, he picked up the lock of hair and put it into a plastic pouch, sealed it, and placed it on the desk. He turned around, folded his arms across his chest, leaned against the desk, and looked at me with piercing blue eyes.
"Y... what are you doing?"
"You're dead."
I widened my eyes in shock.
"What?"
"You're saying someone wants to kill you?" He shrugged. "No, you're dead."
I blinked, and he let out a deep sigh.
"I'm giving you a choice because I think you deserve it."
His gaze was fixed on me.
"You can either live life on a powder keg. Your family isn't an ordinary family; they're a dangerous mafia organization, and perilous people have their eyes on your father's throne. You can easily become their prey and die. Or, you can fake your own death and live."
I swallowed hard.
"You mean fake death."
He nodded.
"Yes, but you'll never be able to go back to your old life."
I opened my mouth, but he spoke again, "Never."
The room fell silent.
"M-meaning... I don't understand," I finally whispered.
"Meaning no college, no education. Meaning your friends will never call or meet you. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, nothing. Meaning Tanya Rao is dead... forever."
I swallowed the lump in my throat.
"So, what will I do? Where will I live?"
"Here."
I shivered. "Forever?"
"Not decided yet."
My chest tightened.
"Come with me."
"Why?" I asked.
He turned around, a faint smile on his face.
"Because carrying you on my shoulder repeatedly is a bit rude, but if you want, I'll be happy."
"N... no! I'll walk."
As he approached me, I spoke hastily.
He turned around and exited the room, and my face was flushed with heat.
I followed him.
As we passed through the living room, I turned my head and stared at the door.
"I'd wait until I got enough food and shoes to wear before trying to escape again."
His words shocked me. I looked in the direction he was walking, and his eyes weren't even on me. How did he know I was staring at the door?
To be continued…
"How long?" the words escaped my mouth.
"How long what?"
"How long will I be here?"
"I told you, I haven't thought about it."
I gritted my teeth. Suddenly, my stomach ached with hunger. I looked down at my bare, dirty feet, their injured and blood-soaked state making my eyes tremble.
I followed him up the stairs, my expression one of utter dejection.
At first, I thought we would return to the same room where he had imprisoned me. But he walked past it and turned the corner of the hallway.
Now we stood near another door. As he opened it, he gestured for me to enter.
I hesitated, staring at him, but then suddenly the smell of food filled my nostrils. Along with it, my gaze swept across the room, and my mouth began to water.
This room, too, was like a bedroom, with a small table and a chair inside. On it, a plate was piled high with a cheeseburger, momos, and French fries, accompanied by cut fruit.
Oh my god!
My weakness. French fries! That's what I ate when I was stressed. My favorite food was placed before me.
I calmed down and fell into thought. He knew my past. He knew about my family. He knew my name. So, the things on the table couldn't be a coincidence?
"I know what you like. While you were busy breaking my windows, I was busy arranging your food."
My face flushed intensely.
"Sit and start eating."
It wasn't an invitation. It was a command. But I and my painfully empty stomach were in no state to throw his order back in his face. I swallowed my pride and shame and sat down at the table.
"There are toiletries in the attached bathroom. You'll find ready-made meals in the refrigerator..."
He gestured towards the mini-fridge placed near the far wall, which made my eyelids blink in surprise. There was also a microwave on top of the fridge.
"And the water from the bathroom sink is perfectly drinkable."
I nodded slowly and turned my gaze back to him.
"Is this my new room?"
He nodded. I chewed my lips. My eyes drifted to the windows set against the wall, and I immediately realized they were slightly different from the previous room's.
"While I appreciate your resourcefulness, I assure you, escaping through these windows will be impossible for you."
My cheeks turned red, and touching the back of my teeth with my tongue, I turned to him.
"Am I a prisoner?"
He said nothing.
"A new room," I muttered, "a bathroom, food and water, windows that won't open. And I'm sure you'll lock the door from the outside... " I swallowed, "So? Does this mean I'm held captive here?"
He shrugged.
"If the door isn't locked, and the windows are open, wouldn't you try to escape?"
I pursed my lips and narrowed my eyes at his smile.
"Then I have to say... you are a prisoner. You are a prisoner."
He turned and walked towards the door. And as I had predicted, he fitted a key into the deadbolt lock on the outside of the door.
"Enjoy your meal. I'll be back by tomorrow afternoon."
My jaw hung open.
"Wait, what...?!"
"It's Krish."
His deadly blue eyes pierced mine, and he melted me where I stood, saying, "My name is Krish."
The door closed and locked with a click.
⛓ 🔗 ⛓ 🔗 ⛓
_krish's POV_
"You want me to watch the lake?"
"Yes."
I nodded on the phone as I got into the Range Rover. Nearby, the boat that had brought me here was docked, gently swaying with the lake's current.
"Do I need to keep an eye on the entire lake?"
"If you can't, I'll call someone else..."
"You bastard," Madhav said irritably, "First, I know you know it's not good to insult me... so why do you do it? Second, I know no one can do your work better than me."
"And the meaning of these two pieces of nonsense?"
"Meaning, tell me what we're looking for?"
I smiled faintly.
"Uninvited guests."
"Meaning uninvited guests heading towards your house, correct?"
In the silence of the night, I nodded as I steered the car towards the private airfield. "Yes."
"Looks like the matter is very serious, buddy."
"Yes."
My old friend sighed. "Alright, I'll handle it. As long as I'm around, no one can mess with your house."
"In return, I'll only get praise."
He made a sound as if he were getting up from a comfortable sofa.
"I don't like praise, will I get something else?"
"Chinese burgers?"
He laughed. We were always like this. Even though we spoke little, we were the kind of old friends who met after one or two years, but we definitely met and had a blast together.
Soldiers who have fought battles together are like that.
However, Madhav and I had never worn uniforms. And the battles we fought weren't just battles; they were naked dances of death and destruction.
Like me, Madhav was also part of Mikhail's directed Ghost Project. But unlike me, his spirit awakened very early, and he found a way to get out of there. To feign mental instability, he took three doses of LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide/hallucinogenic drug) simultaneously, which led to his immediate dismissal from the syndicate on grounds of mental instability.
The funny thing is, he might have failed that mental test even without taking psychedelics, because he was crazy from the start.
To be continued….
But the guy is as solid as he looks crazy. If you ask me, he's the best sniper in the world. And I'm not just saying that, I've seen his magic.
Tonight his mission was to protect Tanya, though he didn't know it. All he knew was that he had to keep an eye on the lake. I didn't want to risk leaving Tanya alone. Especially after hearing her say that a woman was wandering by the shore. Mikhail must have sent her, no doubt.
It was important to finish the matter as soon as possible, and for that, I needed to meet Jenna.
Which meant leaving Tanya alone. So I made this arrangement.
"Alright, I've started packing and will be there in about five hours, and after that, I'll set up camp on your roof."
My face turned dark.
"No," I growled. Very loudly.
Madhav laughed and said, "Chill, buddy, I won't make a hole in your roof, nor will I steal any cables."
I shook my head. "There's a hidden mound on the western coast. It offers a clear view of the entire lake."
I had also turned on the infrared sensors and motion detectors installed throughout my property. But I needed someone like Madhav whose eyes could watch the sky.
"I think I remember that spot, hmm." He took a deep breath and said, "Okay, man, I'm on my way. If I see any stranger heading towards your house, I'll take them down... right?"
"Yes."
He was silent for a second.
"Is there any problem?" I asked.
"No, man," he said. "I'm just curious to know what kind of mess you're in? I mean... look, don't get me wrong, I'm always ready to help you, and I enjoy doing it, but... doesn't Bhaskar Reddy have people he can assign to you as bodyguards or home guards?"
"Even if he did, what's the point?" I sighed. "None of them are as sharp as you."
He laughed. "Yeah, butter me up. Anyway, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Madhav. And safe too... stop worrying about me, just do what I asked."
Bhaskar was my new boss's name, and I didn't want to tell him anything.
Firstly, he doesn't care about anything. Secondly, he had no idea that I had a past connection with the Ghost Syndicate.
Anyway, in my absence, I had made all possible arrangements for Tanya's safety. She was now safely confined to a room in my house.
A rumble rose from the depths of my chest as my fingers suddenly remembered the touch of her skin. My pulse immediately started pounding. The beating of her heart. The panting of her breath, and the distinct intoxication in her eyes, took over my mind.
The taste of her lips and her moans filling my mouth had almost made me lose control at that moment.
When she trembled in my arms for the first time, a wall inside me broke.
I wasn't feeling good. My condition hadn't been right since I met her. I was carelessly running on thin ice, and I didn't even realize it.
Having these thoughts about her was one thing... and it wasn't good news for someone like me.
But to disregard Mikhail... Ugh... what had I done? I admit I hated that person, but why had I taken him so lightly?
Mikhail Arkas was an emotionless, savage beast. I couldn't afford to make the mistake of underestimating him.
I should have blown Tanya away at that exact moment and place, but... she was in my house right now, with me. She had forced me to break my own rule and forget who I was and what I was.
And if she found out who I am? If she saw my truth, she would let out her loudest scream yet and run from me faster than she ever had.
"I'm about to board the plane, and don't worry, your effort and time will be rewarded."
"Hey, enough already, man," Madhav laughed. "You meet first, quickly."
"Yes, see you soon. Thank you, Madhav."
"Anytime, punter."
⛓ 🔗 ⛓ 🔗 ⛓
An hour after landing in Mumbai, I stood like a statue in front of two closed doors.
The guards standing on either side of the doors, though trained by Mikhail, were not as calm or steady as me. My face had no expression at the moment, except for coldness.
While they were nervously looking at each other again.
Your reputation sometimes works as a weapon. Here, my name alone was enough to send a shiver down the guards' spines.
I stood waiting for another minute. I knew Jenna was deliberately making me wait. She enjoyed this game.
Was she busy? In a meeting? No. It was the middle of the night, and I had arranged our meeting at her Mumbai office.
As the minutes passed, I silently moved towards the door. The game time was over.
The two panicked guards made a half-hearted attempt to stop me. But when I gave them a stern look, they flinched and stepped back. One of them, fumbling with his earpiece, said, "Uh, Ma'am? Buka..."
His face was pale, and his eyes looked at me with terror.
"He has arrived."
I didn't wait for a reply. I just moved forward, opened both doors, and walked straight into Jenna's office.
Jenna looked up from the laptop on her desk and stood up, smiling faintly. "Oh, Krish," she sent me a flying kiss with a flourish.
To be continued….
I closed the door behind me with a swift click and stood in front of it. She was standing behind the desk, wearing a blue three-quarter sleeve business dress.
For a person like Jenna, every aspect of life was a game of deception and trickery. Because she had been trained for it her whole life.
Apart from being Mikhail's second-in-command and niece, Jenna was also Mikhail's most valuable disciple in the Ghost Syndicate's second program: the Swan Project.
While young men like me were trained to renounce humanity and make themselves cruel and barbaric, the young women who went to the Swan Project took a slightly different path. Yes, they were also trained to kill, to be cruel and cunning. But if you talk about it, there are many types of weapons in war.
Like Madhav and I were sharp daggers that could suddenly appear and slit someone's throat before anyone could even think about it. After all, who sees demons coming? They only appear when they stand on your head as death.
And then there was a weapon like Jenna who came straight at you, and you even invited her, and she occupied a place in your heart before you even realized it.
Mikhail's 'Swans' were taught bestiality... cold bestiality! But at the same time, they also had the magic of beauty. I mean, if we were deadly weapons, then they were heartbreaking weapons.
That's why Jenna easily made her way into Tanya's father's heart and bed without any difficulty. While he was still a madman in memory of his late wife.
Nikita was also in the Swan Project before her death.
"What do you want to say?" Jenna had her eyes fixed on me. I know she deliberately chose that arrogant tone. Because she wanted to provoke me and maybe seduce me a little.
Her fashionable dress's top button was open. Her hair was loose, and the perfume fragrance spread her beauty throughout the room.
That was her specialty. That was her training. The outfit, the show, was magic to trap others in her web.
But none of that would work on me.
I put my hand in my jacket pocket, pulled out a sealed pouch, and dropped it in front of her.
"It's done."
Jenna frowned and raised an eyebrow at first. Her gaze was on Tanya's hair and a small vial of blood.
"Krish..."
"It's done, Jenna. Now I want what was promised. And then we'll never talk again."
She sighed and folded her arms across her chest - "You call this proof?"
"This is her hair, and the blood will show a lethal dose of ricin."
I had mixed it with the blood after I took it.
"I had to take her somewhere else. As soon as I put her in the car, I gave her the injection."
Jenna's eyes slowly narrowed - "I don't understand. When you clearly received an order to leave her where she was, why did you pick her up?"
"I just didn't feel like it..." I shrugged.
She inhaled through her teeth, making a frustrated sound, and stared at the blood on the desk.
"I don't understand how this proves..."
"Do you want her heart?"
Her eyes blinked and rose to meet mine - "If I say yes?"
"Then I suggest you buy a shovel. I'm here to bury her."
A flash of anger appeared on her face.
"Where do I need to dig?"
My jaw clenched. I should have mentioned cremation instead of burial. But then she would have asked for the location of the crematorium or her ashes. That's just how sly she was.
"Whatever. Even if it's buried in the underworld, it will be found."
It wasn't going to happen, but I said, "Do what you want."
She raised her eyes, and her crimson lips curled - "Mikhail won't be happy."
"I don't care about his happiness. I want the information I did this for."
Her lips curled further - "If the investigation proves this blood is fake, I think I don't need to remind you..."
"I'm not afraid of threats, Jenna!" I said in a cold tone, moved closer to the desk, and leaned over her menacingly.
Were you trying to show me your beauty? Now it's my turn to show you my demon.
My sudden movement made her stumble back for a moment, and she swallowed hard.
"Don't even think about threatening me, Jenna Darling."
She regained control of herself and said, "First, I have to take this to Mikhail."
"Of course, take it. But our deal is over, so don't contact me again unless you have to give me the information we agreed on."
I turned and headed towards the door, stopped a few steps away, turned back, and looked at her - "Don't make me wait too long. Or it will be expensive."
An hour later, I was sitting on a jet plane heading back home. I was going back to that beautiful captive in the house. The beautiful captive who had tainted my decision and made me stand against my rules.
Tanya's POV
Once again, I was trapped in that beautiful cage, and after a few hours, I finally accepted my fate. It was impossible to get out of this room.
The windows were made differently, with their hinges hidden within the frame. They couldn't be broken under any circumstances.
To be continued...
