Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
DHEER
W hat the hell was I thinking? As usual, when I was around Diya, I was rendered almost incapable of thinking straight, I realised.
She was in shock and injured, and all I could think about was that I wanted to turn her around and kiss her. If I could, I’d make sweet love to her right there on the bathroom counter. No wonder the locals called me a beast. The beast of Trikhera. I might have earned that name through my actions after my father died, but for the first time, I felt I deserved it.
I rinsed my hands and stepped away from Diya.
“There are clean towels in that closet, and someone will bring you a change of clothes from Isha’s closet. Take your time and come down when you’re ready,” I said as politely as I’d talk to a stranger.
Diya shook her head.
“Can you call me a car, please? I’d like to return home right away,” she replied, wiping her hands on a towel.
And just like that, my politeness flew out of the window.
“Are you out of your mind? Ayush Goel just tried to kill you. You can’t leave until I sort this out,” I thundered.
Diya crossed her arms over her chest angrily.
“There’s nothing to sort out , Dheer. And even if there is, you won’t be the one doing it. I’m going to return home, and tomorrow, my father and I will visit Trikhera police station and file an FIR against Ayush.”
I raised an eyebrow, knowing fully well that the sardonic gesture would only infuriate her further.
“And what do you plan to say in the FIR?” I asked.
“I’ll say that he killed a woman in front of me.”
“What woman? What was her name?”
“Well, I don’t exactly know that. It all happened so fast that I didn’t get a chance to hear her name,” she said defensively.
“Hmm. And what about evidence? To prove a murder, you first need a dead body. Do you have one? Or even a photograph of one that proves she was killed in Goel House?” I enquired politely.
She sputtered in anger.
“Well… obviously I didn’t stop to take photographs when I was fighting for my life,” she stammered. “But I can show the cops where he threw her off the terrace.”
“The cops can’t set foot on the property without a warrant, and no magistrate worth his salt is going to issue a warrant without a dead body. And I promise you this, Diya, the Goels would have sanitised the crime scene by now. That dead body has probably already been cremated under a false name. Even if you take the cops to their house, I doubt if you’ll find so much as a drop of blood on their property.”
She flung the towel to the floor in anger.
“So, that’s it? The Goels just clean up the evidence of their crime and they go unpunished? That’s not fair,” she cried, and I snorted in response.
“ Life is not fair, Diya. You did your best for that woman, but unless you can provide any details about her, there’s nothing you can do about it. This isn’t the first time Ayush has killed someone, but nothing has ever been proven against him.”
She paced up and down the bathroom, digging her hands into her thick hair.
“This makes me so mad,” she raged. “Can’t we go around the village and ask the locals if someone is missing? That woman must have a family living locally. Someone would have noticed she was missing. We can join the dots backwards, Dheer!”
“The locals don’t involve the police in their issues, Diya. And no one’s going to speak up against the Goels. That’s a dead end,” I said firmly.
“Fine! Then I’ll just take myself home and go straight for therapy, because Ayush and his family might already have forgotten about that poor woman, but I will never forget her,” she declared.
I grabbed her by the shoulders as she walked past me and forced her to look at me.
“Not so fast,” I growled. “The Goels leave no loose ends, Diya. And you are a loose end. They won’t let you leave Trikhera alive.”
She went pale at my statement.
“Are you crazy?” she whispered. “So what am I supposed to do? I can’t hide in your palace forever. And what if they come after me here?”
“They wouldn’t dare to set foot on my land,” I replied grimly. “But you do have to stay here until I deal with them.”
“But I don’t want to stay here,” she wailed. “I refuse to spend any more time under your roof.”
“Well, you don’t have a choice,” I said drily.
“I hate you,” she seethed, pushing my arms away.
“You can hate me all you like, but you’re still staying here. I’ll see you downstairs when you’re ready,” I replied, slamming the bathroom door shut behind me.
I knew I deserved it, but it still rankled to hear her say that she hated me. An uproar greeted me when I walked downstairs. My family had returned from their dinner, and I wondered why they were back so early.
“Where’s Diya?” demanded Isha. “And are you out of your mind?”
“Diya’s cleaning up in my bathroom, and she’s safe,” I informed her, wondering why she was so mad at me.
“What is wrong with you, Bhai Sa? I know you were upset about her meeting Ayush, but that does not give you the right to kidnap her,” she yelled.
“ Kidnap her? I rescued her from Ayush Goel’s men. They were about to kill her.”
There was a collective gasp from Isha and my mother.
“Beta, are you sure that’s what happened? I mean… I know you have a beef with the Goels, and maybe you misunderstood what was happening,” Ma said hesitantly.
“Four men attacking a woman with swords is not a misunderstanding, Ma. It’s an attempt to murder,” I replied grimly.
“Ohmigod! I need to see Diya. No, wait! First, I need to call her mother and tell her what happened,” cried Isha. “She’s been blowing up my phone demanding you send her daughter back. The Jadhwals are furious, Bhai Sa.”
She ran up the stairs with her phone to her ear. Meanwhile, my phone rang, and I was surprised to see Veer’s name flash across the screen after nine long years. I swiped to take the call, but before I could greet him, he started yelling at me.
“I will rip your heart out and feed it to you in little pieces, Shekhawat,” he snarled.
“Hello to you too,” I replied drily.
The Sisodia siblings were far too quick-tempered for their own good. Always had been.
“If you’ve harmed so much as a hair on Diya’s head, I’ll make you regret it for the rest of your life,” he promised.
This was the thanks I got for saving her life, I thought with an eye roll.
“Easy, tiger. I did not kidnap your sister. Ayush’s men tried to kill her, and I rescued her,” I informed him, cutting through all his bluster.
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
I filled him in about the events of the evening and Veer growled again.
“I’m coming back right now, and I will skin that bastard alive if it’s the last thing I do,” he vowed.
“Where are you right now?”
“In Monte Carlo. I should be back tomorrow morning.”
“I’m dealing with this tonight. This shit ends now, Veer,” I said firmly.
There was a pause before he spoke again.
“Is Diya okay? I can’t imagine what she’s gone through tonight. Is someone with her?”
“Isha has just gone to her. And she’s shaken, but fine. She’s stronger than you realise.”
“Fuck you, Shekhawat. You know nothing about my sister. Not anymore,” he snapped.
I shook my head in exasperation. The Sisodia siblings could hold a mean grudge, I realised.
I promised to keep him updated and hung up before he could threaten to cut off any more parts of me. With a heavy sigh, I called the one man who could help me out.
“Khamma Ghani, Hukum. I heard you’ve been out hunting again,” said Kirori Ji drily.
Kirorimal Talati was the Sarpanch of Trikhera, and if anyone knew what was happening in the village, it was him. Kirori Ji’s word was law as far as the villagers were concerned, and he had proven to be a valuable asset to me in the past.
“What’s going on, Kirori Ji? What are they planning?”
“If I ask you nicely… if I beg you… will you walk away from this, Hukum?” he replied, not giving me a direct answer. “It’s for your own good.”
“Not a chance,” I snapped. “I want the Goels to burn for what they’ve done.”
“You’re just like your old man,” he grumbled. “He was a vengeful bastard just like you.”
“I’m nothing like him,” I shot back. “They tried to kill a friend of mine, Kirori Ji. Am I supposed to let that pass unchallenged?”
Kirori Ji groaned dramatically.
“This is not going to end well. I can feel it in my bones,” he predicted.
“That’s just arthritis. Do some yoga to ease your joints,” I advised.
“Hmph. I’ll thank you to leave my joints out of this, Hukum. Worry about your own neck for a change. The Goels want the woman.”
“Well, they can’t have her,” I snarled, furious at the very thought. “Tell them to get over it.”
Did those assholes really think I was going to hand Diya over to be slaughtered?
“ Haye haye! Don’t start a war again, Hukum,” he begged.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to keep Diya safe,” I said grimly.
“I’ll talk to them and see what it will take to settle this matter,” he said reluctantly.
“You do that, Kirori Ji. And if they aren’t amenable, remind them that they are dealing with the beast of Trikhera. I know how to protect what’s mine.”
“But the princess is not yours, is she?” he asked craftily.
“That doesn’t matter,” I replied and hung up before he could argue further.
Diya might not be mine to keep, but she was mine to protect, and I would see the Goels in hell before I let them anywhere near her.
When I returned to my room, there was no trace of Diya ever having been there. The bathroom had been cleaned, too.
“I’ve moved her into my room, Bhai Sa,” said Isha, coming into the room.
“That’s good. She’ll feel safe with you around.”
“Did you speak to her parents?” she asked severely.
“I spoke to Veer,” I replied. “I’ve promised to keep her safe until we deal with this mess.”
“Diya wants to go home tomorrow morning, and I think you should let her go,” said Isha.
Every fibre of my being rejected the idea. Diya was safe in my house and I refused to let her go. A voice in my head - the one I called my inner beast - suggested that I never let her go, but I silenced it. I didn’t want her running headlong into danger, that’s all.
“Not until the Goels promise to leave her alone,” I declared.
“Bhai Sa, I know you’re trying to keep her safe, but there’s far too much bad blood between the two of you. It might be better for all of us if you just send her home with a security detail. Her parents are capable of keeping her safe,” argued Isha. “You cannot keep her here without her consent.”
I knew she was right, but I didn’t like hearing it.
“Let’s talk about it tomorrow after Kirori Ji speaks to the Goels. I’ll consider sending her home if I can be sure they won’t attack her on the way,” I said grudgingly.
Isha nodded and turned to go. But she turned around at the door and stared at me for a moment.
“And Bhai Sa, please promise me you’ll leave the Goels alone as long as they agree to back off from Diya. We’ve left that life behind, and I don’t want to revisit the past in any way,” she pleaded.
“He tried to kill her, Isha. I cannot forgive that,” I said starkly.
I wanted to leave the past behind as much as she did, but there were some things a man just couldn’t ignore.
Isha sighed with despair and walked out of the room. I knew she wouldn’t give up so easily, but I was glad she wasn’t nagging me about it tonight. Not when I was fighting the need to go to Diya and keep her safe in my arms.
I posted my best men around the perimeter of the palace to make sure there were no sneak attacks in the middle of the night. Still, I got no sleep because my mind kept trying to think of ways around this mess. One thing I knew was that the Goels wouldn’t give up so easily.
Diya could easily land Ayush in jail because her family was as well connected as his. If it came down to her word against his, there was a strong chance that her word would carry a lot of weight. Especially when I backed her up. They would do whatever it took to silence her.
I gave up on sleep as soon as the first streaks of dawn crept across the sky and made my way downstairs. The household was still asleep but I decided to take Pasha out for a quick ride.
Just then, I heard a screech of tyres and ran to the window to see my vintage Rolls Royce racing down the driveway. Isha came running down the stairs, still in her pyjamas.
“She’s gone,” she wailed. “Diya’s gone.”
I closed my eyes in despair as I realised that it might be easy to keep Diya safe from the Goels, but I had no idea how I was going to keep her safe from herself.