Shackles of Desire - Chapter 38

Viman was talking with Shekher and Veena when he saw Rudra enter the hospital. And by the look of the clenched jaw, he could figure out that his brother was not in a good mood. He flicked his gaze towards Kabir who was standing some paces away from him.

One look at Viman and Kabir knew what he had to do. He strode towards Rudra and blocked his way.

“Bhaisa!”

Rudra shot him an irritated glance and brushed him aside. But before he could take another step, he saw Amar stepping out from his cabin.

Kabir thanked his stars that his brother’s attention was at Amar and not on Annie. If she had been here then this place would have turned into a battleground in a matter of seconds. He flicked his gaze at Amar and then at Rudra.

Oh shit!

“She is unconscious.”

Rudra narrowed his eyes and gave him an imploring look.

Sighing inwardly, Amar poured out rest of the details.

As the words left his mouth, Rudra’s face hardened with growing anger. Just as Amar finished, he turned.

“Where are they?”

“Arshad and Chinna are still out on the search. Shastri is taking care of the security here,” Ram answered.

“Get Shastri here now,” he ordered and then turned towards Amar.

“Where is she?”

“She is in the ICU and we will need to keep her there till she is able to breathe on her own.”

Every muscle in Rudra’s body twitched with anger and with every passing second, it kept rising. By the time Shastri came and stood in front of him, his rage had turned ballistic. He grabbed Shastri’s arm and dragged him to the back of the hospital, followed by Ram and the others.

The moment they were outside, he let him go.

Shastri took one look at Rudra and knew the answers to his whys.

“They still haven’t found him.”

Rudra fist tightened more than usual as he heard him.

“It seems as if he has vanished in thin air.”

“I don’t care Shastri. I want him here, alive. Do you get it?”

Shastri just nodded and saw Rudra’s jaw tightening. He stepped a little back and released a much-held breath as Rudra moved away and walked inside the hospital. But his relief was short-lived.

“Shastri!”

It was as a shot in the air gearing him into motion. He rushed towards Rudra and followed him inside.

Just as they reached near the ICU, Rudra stopped.

“Remove your security and ask Chinna and Arshad to call off their search.”

Shastri’s gaping mouth was enough to echo the rush of surprise and shock that rippled through all of them.

Rudra turned towards them and looked at Amar.

“Move her to a normal room.”

“Rudra, she needs to be in ICU; she needs that support.”

“You are not moving her out of ICU,” Annie’s voice echoed from behind.

She came and stood in front of Rudra and looked straight into his eyes.

“Now you see Namish, why I said that Ishani needs to be in a different hospital; because this man here will do everything in his power to kill her.”

Rudra stepped a little closer and stared hard into her face.

“Did you lose your brain somewhere or there’s some faulty wiring between your head and your mouth?”

Annie’s face turned red with anger and she almost raised her hand to strike him but he was faster than her.

Catching her hand midway, he said, “Don’t dare to do this again because I’m not that kind of a man who wouldn’t hit a woman and if I do then you wouldn’t be alive to tell the tale.”

Rudra dropped her hand from his grip like it was something vile and then turned his gaze at Amar.

“Get the ICU equipment in a room and move her there. And, Shastri as I said remove the security and let the grapevine know.”

“Rudra, you are exposing her to Rajneesh. You know he is going to strike,” Viman reminded him.

“And that’s what I want.”

Annie’s mind finally registered what he was trying to do and when it did, she couldn’t hold back the shock.

“You are going to use her as bait!?” she said looking at him with incredulity.

Rudra slanted her gaze at her and then said, “That’s exactly what I am doing Ms Mohan.”

“I am not going to let you do this. The police will protect her; I’ll call them right away.”

“Annie!”

Namish’s warning shot fell into deaf ears as Annie fetched her phone.

Rudra fully turned towards her and stepped a little closer.

“Well Ms Mohan, you can say hi to them from my side. Arvind!”

A man stepped a little closer to the group and acknowledged Rudra with a nod.

“This is Arvind Singh Deo, ACP Crime Branch.”

The phone froze in Annie’s hand just as she heard him. All her hopes of saving Ishani were finally over. Dejected, she stepped away and sat down on one of the chairs.

Thinking that finally, she has given up fighting, Rudra turned towards Ram and Shastri and started relaying instructions.

“You hate her so much that you are willing to hand her over to the man who did all this. You don’t know Rajneesh, he is a part of the mafia,” Annie said her voice shaking with emotion.

Rudra finally lost it.

“I am the Mafia Ms Mohan, I am the Mafia.”

Annie’s eyes widened just as she heard him. She stood up and faced him once again. Not able to find words, she just stared at him.

“Get it inside your head, Ms Mohan, that no one is more dangerous than I am. I can do more damage than that fucking asshole. I can kill your friend in a matter of seconds without even touching her. But right now I have decided that your friend needs to live and I’ll not even let the fucking wind touch her.”

Annie breath caught in her lungs as his words filtered through.

“You are sick.”

“Thank you, Ms Mohan. Ram!”

Annie watched as Ram and the others listened closely and went on their respective ways to follow his orders like puppets. She turned and looked at Namish who just shook his head and sat down.

Rudra looked at them and then started to walk away. But the moment he reached the corridor bend, he slanted his gaze at her.

“Ms Mohan!”

Annie straightened her head and looked at him.

“She will fucking wake up for me and once she does, she will be in hell. So, save your energy coz you will need it in the days to come.”

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