Shackles of Desire - Chapter 40

 Everyone stared at him with shock and horror. Even Mayank and Ram were thunderstruck.

Rudra turned his gaze at Ram and within seconds he moved along with Mayank.

“NO!” shouted Annie and rushed towards the door of Ishani’s room.

Her heart thumped hard against her chest just as Ram blocked her way and she watched Mayank entering the room.

Annie collapsed on the floor sobbing hard begging incoherently for her friend’s life.

“You can’t do this,” Adarsh said advancing towards the door but it was blocked by Ram.

Two other men came and stood next to Ram and blocked the door completely. Adarsh’s eyes widened with horror as he watched these men loading their guns.

Adarsh flicked his gaze at Rudra for some reaction but his nonchalant stare froze him off.

“You can’t kill her.”

“I can and I will. Now it’s your choice what you want. If you bring in security my men will kill her. If you don’t then she will live. Decide in 5 minutes what you want coz frankly it doesn’t matter to me whether she is dead or alive.”

Saying this Rudra turned and started to leave.

“And Mr Solanki, don’t take the entire 5 minutes to decide coz I don’t like waiting. If I lose my patience, she dies, and then I’ll use her body to get your nephew.”

Adarsh staggered a little and finally, collapsed on a nearby chair.

“Mr Solanki?”

He heard Mayank’s insistent tone and just nodded his head knowing the fact that there was nothing else he could do but agree.

“Ms Mohan, if you want to see your friend alive, then I suggest you stay with her. I am a fickle man when it comes to your friend,” Rudra’s voice boomed through the corridor as he turned towards the other.

Annie scrambled to her feet and entered Ishani’s room. But just before she stepped in she flicked her gaze at Adarsh who nodded his head reassuring her.

Her feet trembled as she neared Ishani’s bed. She couldn’t imagine her like this. With a shaky hand, she picked one of Ishani’s and pressed it to her lips.

“Please wake up before it’s too late. He is going to kill you.”

Slowly she moved towards the Ishani’s head and laid a caressing hand on her forehead.

“Please Ish! Come back,” she implored in a thickened tone.

Tears of regret and guilt slipped down her cheeks and silently she sobbed beside her friend.

Amar entered the room and neared the bed. He looked at the monitor and then checked her pulse. Her vitals were finally coming back to normal and he had hoped that once that happens she will wake up but her body was still paralysed with shock.

Annie watched him pulling out a syringe and injecting something into the IV. Instantly her gaze shifted to the heart monitor and she intently watched it for any change.

“It’s not poison,” she heard him say.

Anger flashed inside her as she heard him.

“You would have pulled the life support off if he had said so.”

Amar looked her in the eye and said, “Yes!”

“But you are a doctor.”

“Before that, I am his friend.”

“He doesn’t deserve anyone’s friendship. He is a monster,” Annie said vexed as she came and stood in front of Amar.

“Watch your mouth, Ms Mohan. You know nothing about him so I would request you to keep your mouth shut.”

“He wants to kill her.”

“Till now he wants her alive. And remember this Ms Mohan, if Rudra wants her alive then he will stand between her and the world.”

Annie stood motionless, his words penetrating sharply in her mind. A question had almost left her mouth when she stopped herself knowing that she wouldn’t like the answer at all.

Amar came a little near and instinctively Annie stepped back dreading what he was about to say.

“And if he wants her dead then he will be the one pulling the trigger.”

The finality in his tone stumped Annie but she steadied herself. If that man intended to harm Ishani then she would need her sanity to stop him.

Nobody disturbed them after that. Annie settled herself on the sofa nearby and kept a close eye on Ishani. Apart from her, Adarsh, Mohini and Namish were the only people in the hospital.

No security and definitely no Rudraveer Sangawat.

In the next couple of days, Annie kept her eyes and ears open for anything that happened inside the room. Her eyes searched each and every face that entered the room, and she asked numerous questions as to what they were doing. No matter how draining it was mentally, physically and emotionally, she kept her vigil.

But eventually, exhaustion hit her by manifolds. And on the 3rd night, as she sat down on the sofa next to Ishani’s bed, her eyes automatically drooped and finally closed.

*********************

It was almost 12 in the night but Rudra was still pacing agitatedly in his room.

Why hasn’t Rajneesh attacked?

It has been 3 days and he still hasn’t moved. The grapevine already had the news, so it must have reached him.

So why?

He was about to take out his phone when a knock on the door stopped him. He watched as Ram looked at the screen nearby and then opened the door.

Arshad strode him and by the look on his face, he definitely had some news.

“Boss, Rajneesh has gone to meet a professional shooter.”

Rudra sat down in his chair and flicked his gaze at Arshad.

So finally Rajneesh was making a move. But why a professional shooter? Why isn’t he coming himself?

Arshad looked at his phone and then raised his gaze at Rudra.

“It’s confirmed, Boss. He is talking to him right now. It’s—”

Rudra’s raised finger stopped him.

“Tell him to take up the job. Also, let him know that he has an open field.”

“Rajneesh is not coming himself. Then why are we—”

“If I were in his place I’ll follow the shooter just to see the end. Rajneesh will be there.”

Getting up from the chair, he strode towards the balcony and then said—

“Tell the shooter to mess up the job.”

Copyright © Paromita Majumder. All Rights Reserved.